Embattled PS3 hacker raises big bank to fight Sony

George “geohot” Hotz is the Playstation 3 hacker whom Sony is suing for unlocking his own PS3 so that he can run his own software on it. Hotz calls himself “pro-DRM” but he also believes in the right to jailbreak your own equipment. As confused as this sounds, it’s still absurd and unjust for a gargantuan multinational to use its vast legal resources to crush a lone hacker whose “crime” is to figure out how to do (legal) stuff with his own property.

Hotz has raised money for his legal defence, which will be crushingly expensive. I’d planned on putting up $100 — but then I discovered that Hotz had closed donations, evidently because he’d raised enough for now.

Since the donations page has gone up, Hotz has met his first goal and will be adding more lawyers to his legal team. For those without money to donate, Hotz is still asking for support. “Let people know how Sony treats customers,” he wrote. “Let people know Sony would rather sue than be proactive and try to fix the problem. Let people know about laws like the DMCA which stifle innovation, and don’t do anything to fix the problems they were created to solve.”

If Sony offered to settle, Hotz has terms in mind: he wants the OtherOS option back on the PlayStation 3, and he wants a public apology from Sony. He’s also willing to trade “a legit path to homebrew for knowledge of how to stop new firmwares from being decrypted.” With a fresh infusion of funding and the attention of the media, Sony may find a more formidable opponent in Hotz than it expected.

Donations pour in for PS3 hacker; Sony court battle continues