After news of the settlement between Sony and George Hotz came out, we had a few unhappy people complaining about how Hotz would now keep all the money donated to him, that he would run off to some tropical island, never to be heard from again. Well, as it turns out, Hotz has actually kept his word: he donated all the leftover donated money to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
When the lawsuit started, Hotz solicited donations from people to support the fight with Sony. This way, he could afford decent legal presentation. From the get-go, he promised he would donate any left-over money to the Electronic Frontier Foundation once the court case was over. When news of the settlement got out, some people were worried that Hotz would simply keep all the donated money and spend it on frivolous things like socks and extension cords.
Well, worry no more, as Hotz has kept true to his word. He just posted on his blog that he has donated $10000 to the Electronic Frontier Foundation. “As promised, all left over legal defense money, plus a little to bump it to a nice number, has been sent to the EFF. Thank you all so much for your support, without it, things could have been much worse,” Hotz writes, “This money goes to the EFF in hopes that America can one day again be a shining example of freedom, free of the DMCA and ACTA, and that private interest will never trump the ideas laid out in the constitution of privacy, ownership, and free speech.”
Hotz further stated that he won’t be hacking away at Sony products any longer. While he doesn’t respect Sony, he does respects the courts, he explains. He also doesn’t believe this case will affect future efforts by others to hack Sony products. “If you piss them off enough for them to pull out the legal team and their million dollar checkbook, worst thing that happens is you have to super swear to never do it again,” he says.
So, this means this particular case is closed, and that’s a good thing for Hotz. Lest we forget – he is but one individual, and I can fully understand it that he has decided not to devote the better part of a decade on a long, protracted legal battle. As Tess points out in this week’s podcast (yes! A podcast!), while such a case is going on, it could affect, for instance, his employment options.
Still, I have the sneaking suspicion that the EFF wasn’t chosen willy-nilly. In 2010, the EFF managed to get a DMCA exception added for hacking smartphones. In 2013, the next round of exceptions will be handled. I wouldn’t be surprised if Hotz and the EFF intend this $10000 to go into the lobbying effort to get consoles added alongside mobile phones in the list of DMCA exceptions.
Well done Hotz! I’m glad to stuck to his word on this and yes, I think the EFF is the best place to look for a DMCA exemption on hacking your own consoles firmware.
This GeoHot is seriously a class act, an example to us all.
Lucky seems more accurate to me. Very lucky.
I don’t think that luck had anything to do with it. This whole Geohot case was becoming a PR nightmare for Sony. So while Sony could have crushed Geohot like a bug and make an example of him (because that’s the way the world works – people with deep pockets fuck John Q. Citizen in the ass, nose and ears), they would’ve lost more on the sales front. Simple math.
The cards fell in his favour. At best it was a tactical recovery.
Sony outright won this one, escaping the bad PR was just a bonus
Edited 2011-04-18 16:58 UTC
I think an “outright win” for a company as big as Sony would be a decisive legal outcome including an outright ban on device owners tampering with there purchases. What they got instead was an indecisive outcome that allowed both sides to step back with some compromises.
I meant that his behavior throughout this situation and in the aftermath had class. Luck has nothing to do with that.
He is lucky he got off so lightly, because Sony’s behavior had no class, until the settlement. That is why it was such a PR nightmare for them.
What does luck have to do with being a class act?
I saw some of the comments against Hotz and thought it was undeserving. None of the negative posters were under the hammer and it was a bit too easy for them to complain. He did the best he could and the lesson remains the same as it has been for years.
Never, ever buy Sony products until they’re wiped from the face of the Earth.
Edited 2011-04-18 12:54 UTC
Given the anger in the last related article’s discussion, we’ll see how this one goes and who joins in now that there is actually a final outcome to react too.
He should have donated the money to the RIAA.
(before you mod my post, I’m just being funny.)
People donated to him with the expectation that he was going to fight Sony. He used the money to roll over and settle his bills… he should donate all of it, not just what’s left over.
So, what was the total amount donated? I haven’t seen that number posted anywhere yet. I only know that he closed the donation link when he had “enough” to start with.
GeoHot is only one person… Do you seriously think he can battle a MULTI-BILLION dollar company?!
Sony had a bad PR and that’s good enough for me when it comes to person vs Bunch of lawyers.
.
Edited 2011-04-18 20:15 UTC
The donations were for his legal bills, he paid them, then topped up the remainder with his own money, what more could you have asked for?
He did exactly what he said, and what was expected of him.
Pretty easy to sit infront of your computer and pass judgment on someone else. Have you ever been the single focus of a corporate legal team?
Pardon me while I take out a loan to donate money I don’t have to my favorite organization so I can live up to your lofty ideals. /facepalm
People gave him money to support him in his fight against Sony, and he spent some of the money fighting Sony. I fail to see the issue with that. There was no expectation of an all-out win; I’m pretty sure most who donated to him expected a far worse outcome than the actual one. I’d say he was quite honorable in how he handled the entire situation, including his generous donation to the EFF, some of which was his own money (i.e. not donated to him).
On that note, exactly how much have YOU donated to the EFF? I doubt it is anywhere near 10k.
Haters gonna hate…