Archive for November, 2009

In the UK Terms of Service clause for the PS3, there have been a few changes made. This doesn’t really affect anyone but people who share log-in information between PS3s to download titles to multiple PS3s. Here’s from the actual Terms of Service:

PlayStation®Store Download items

• In-game items or content that you have purchased may be downloaded from PlayStation®Store. Pursuant to the particular terms of use that govern a specific in-game item or content you have purchased, you may use that item or content on up to three (3) different PlayStation®3 systems that have been activated for your account. You may deactivate or activate specific PlayStation®3 systems, as long as the maximum activated number of PlayStation®3 systems for your account at any given time is three (3).
• There are two sets of usage schemes for content, corresponding to two categories of in-game items and other content that you purchase.
  • The first category, called Network Content, can only be accessed by one activated PlayStation®3 system per day and only by the account through which the Network Content was purchased. Network Content cannot be used on two different PlayStation®3 systems within a twenty-four (24) hour period.
  • The second category, called Local Content, once installed on a PlayStation®3 system by the account that purchased it, can be accessed by other accounts on that same PlayStation®3 system.

Biggest changes, according to that, is that content, besides the Local Content, can only be used on 3 activated systems at a time. Those who have 5 systems activated shouldn’t have to worry about that unless one is deactivated, in which case you wouldn’t be able to reactivate it. They will still be affected by the one download every 24 hours deal, though.

As far as the US Terms of Service, which is a hell of a lot longer, I was unable to locate their maximum number of allowed PS3s to be activated, nor how many times content can be downloaded in a given time frame. From the looks of it, though, only the UK ToS have been changed, but just in case, keep this change in mind!

UK Software Usage Terms/Source

UPDATE
Turns out, the 3 activated systems was a typo, so that’s still 5, but the 1 download per day is true.

Source

UPDATE #2
Here is the email UK accounts should be receiving to let you know about the changes made. Apparently, the privacy policy had been changed as well.

UPDATE #3
After reading through it a couple times, Network Content sounds like movie rentals, since it’s only available for a limited amount of time after purchase. US movie rentals work the same way, seeing as they are only available on one system for a fixed amount of time. In other words, it more reflects the way the US Terms of Service are laid out. As far as purchased movies, that should be considered Local Content, in which those can be shared between 5 registered PS3s. In other words, nothing to worry about! Sorry for the scare folks .