As annoying and stupid as the entire situation is, the drama between George "Geohot" Hotz and Sony continues to heat up. In an industry that regularly sets fire to itself over minutia, the legal battle between one hacker and and the PlayStation empire is about to burn down like Chicago.
The most recent rumors included incomplete hard drive submissions and a swift getaway by Hotz. IGN originally reported that Hotz delivered subpoened hard drives with key components missing. None of that really ended up being true. Nothing publishes a news story without fact-checking faster than a scandal, IGN.
Geohot's attorney Stewart Kellar later set the story straight:
The "integral components" SCEA is talking about are stock controller cards, not the hard drives themselves. The neutral subsequently had to explain to SCEA the form and function of hard drive controller cards. Those controller cards have since been provided to the neutral so the point is moot.
You can never take a vacation from a lawsuit. Mr. Hotz has had to make himself available 24/7 for this litigation, which has been quite demanding on him. You have to remember that Mr. Hotz didn't choose to fight this battle, but now that he has been sued, he has to put his heart into fighting this case that has enormous implications for consumers world-wide.
As for any question as to whether Mr. Hotz has used donation money to take a trip to South America, that's pretty silly. Litigating against a massive company like Sony, who is represented by five attorneys, is very costly for a 21-year-old. The donation money George has received is being used exclusively for his legal defense. If there are any funds left after the lawsuit, George is planning to donate the money to the [Electronic Frontier Foundation].
Does anyone else get the sense that someone is laying a base for a counter-suit on the basis of emotional distress?
