PS3 Hacker Denies Fleeing Justice
George Hotz, the hacker who unlocked Sony's PS3, has denied fleeing the U.S. to avoid legal action.
In a post on his blog, said that his trip in South America had been planned for months and added that he was still in contact with his lawyers.
"Factually, it's true I'm in South America, on a vacation I've had planned and paid for since November," the blog post reads. "I mean, it is Spring break; hacking isn't my life. Rest assured that not a dime of legal defense money would ever go toward something like this. And of course Townsend loves the idea of painting me as an international fugitive. I have been in contact with my lawyers almost every day; I would not let the case suffer. That said, I also won't let this ridiculous lawsuit run my life either. Then the fearmongerers win."
Sony Computer Electronics America (SCEA) has is suing Hotz for computer fraud and breach of copyright. The company brought to light Hotz's absense in the latest court documents filed to the San Francisco court where he is being sued.
"SCEA learned that Hotz had deliberately removed integral components of his impounded hard drives prior to delivering them to a third party neutral and that Hotz is now in South America, an excuse for why he will not immediately provide the components of his hard drives as requested by the neutral.
"Hotz's attempts to dodge this Court's authority raise very serious questions," SCEA's filing states.
Hotz's blog post was written in reaction to reports of his departure which speculated that he may have paid for the trip with money donated by supporters, intended to pay for pay for his legal costs.
SCEA launched its legal action in California. However, Hotz has disputed the court's jurisdiction, claiming that he is a resident of New Jersey and that the PS3 is made in Japan.
In previous hearings, George Hotz has been ordered to hand over the IP addresses of users who accessed his website. The court has also granted SCEA to access Hotz's paypal account records.
"Factually, it's true I'm in South America, on a vacation I've had planned and paid for since November," the blog post reads. "I mean, it is Spring break; hacking isn't my life. Rest assured that not a dime of legal defense money would ever go toward something like this. And of course Townsend loves the idea of painting me as an international fugitive. I have been in contact with my lawyers almost every day; I would not let the case suffer. That said, I also won't let this ridiculous lawsuit run my life either. Then the fearmongerers win."
Sony Computer Electronics America (SCEA) has is suing Hotz for computer fraud and breach of copyright. The company brought to light Hotz's absense in the latest court documents filed to the San Francisco court where he is being sued.
"SCEA learned that Hotz had deliberately removed integral components of his impounded hard drives prior to delivering them to a third party neutral and that Hotz is now in South America, an excuse for why he will not immediately provide the components of his hard drives as requested by the neutral.
"Hotz's attempts to dodge this Court's authority raise very serious questions," SCEA's filing states.
Hotz's blog post was written in reaction to reports of his departure which speculated that he may have paid for the trip with money donated by supporters, intended to pay for pay for his legal costs.
SCEA launched its legal action in California. However, Hotz has disputed the court's jurisdiction, claiming that he is a resident of New Jersey and that the PS3 is made in Japan.
In previous hearings, George Hotz has been ordered to hand over the IP addresses of users who accessed his website. The court has also granted SCEA to access Hotz's paypal account records.
