14 DAY TRIAL // Hardware maker and video game publisher Sony has obtained a temporary injunction from an Australian federal court that is set to block both the import and the sale of a new mod chip that is set to completely open up the PlayStation 3 home gaming console for unapproved content.
The new mod chip was only recently created and has been appearing all over the world for those interested in buying it, with the source apparently somewhere in China or in Hong Kong, where parts of the production cycle for the PS3 take place.
The new legal decision allows Sony to actually control all the stock that the mod ship seller has until August 31, while it will present arguments to the court that will presumably lead to the mod chip being completely banned in Australia.
If Sony fails with its arguments the retailer will be able to get it's mod chips back and will be able to sell them.
At the moment the company says that the devices are offered to those who are interested in creating backups for their legally obtained content.
For a long time Sony has prided itself on the fact that the PlayStation 3 had not been hacked and that titles launched for it could not be pirated.
Earlier this year a hardware modder announced that he could use the Other OS feature to run a limited number of programs on Sony made hardware, prompting the company to put out a firmware update which eliminated the feature from its platform.
It now seems that the PlayStation 3 has been fully hacked, with videos suggesting that users that acquire the new mod chip able to use backup files and USB drives to run content without the use of the disk drive.
Piracy is one of the biggest problems for the video games industry at the moment with all current generation consoles now hacked.