As one would expect, Sony was not pleased with fail0verflow and their new hack that gave users full control over the PlayStation 3. Nor was Sony happy when a hacker named GeoHot took it a step further and released the PS3 root key for public use.

A lawsuit followed and while initially it appeared GeoHot and fail0verflow had the potential to win the case on a jurisdictional ground, that is, arguing the case was filed in the wrong place and should therefore be dismissed, it turned out they were not so lucky.

While the court did initially decline to entertain Sony's request for a temporary restraining order (TRO), as soon as the jurisdictional matter was decided the TRO was back on and was granted in Sony's favor. This means that the Northern District of California has said GeoHot (real name George Hotz) and  fail0verflow cannot distribute or link to the jailbreak. Additionally they cannot help or encourage others to jailbreak, hack into the PS3, PSN, nor may they distribute any information uncovered while hacking.

Perhaps even a bigger issue, however, is that they have been ordered to turn over any computers or storage media used to create the jailbreak to Sony's lawyers. While there likely will not be a continued fight over most of the TRO, expect a fight regarding turning over computers. That can turn complicated very quickly.

This ruling does not, however, mean Sony has won the larger case at hand against GeoHot and fail0verflow. It just means they were able to show the potential for ongoing harm if GeoHot and fail0verflow were allowed to continue to spread the jailbreak and associated information. But while this might be a win for Sony, this is still the Internet Age they are dealing with, and stopping GeoHot and fail0verflow is not likely to stop the jailbreak from spreading.

What are your thoughts on this matter? Do you think Sony deserves to win the ultimate lawsuit in addition to this temporary restraining order? Do you think a win here or in the ultimate lawsuit will actually change anything? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.