Sony has updated the PSN Software Usage Terms ahead of the imminent release of the PlayStation 4. At the moment the updated legal document is only live on the European PSN site, and there's no confirmation whether or not the North American Terms of Service will be getting a similar revamp. Regardless, it pertains to usage of any Sony system including the original PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Vita and PlayStation 4. Two sections of the updated document in particular have come under scrutiny. The first of which, Section 14, is titled "Are We Monitoring PSN?" and contains the following information: “Yes but we can’t monitor all PSN activity and we make no commitment to do so. However, we reserve the right in our sole discretion to monitor and record any or all of your PSN activity and to remove any of your UGM at our sole discretion, without further notice to you. “Your use of PSN and our community features may be recorded and collected by us or sent to us by other users as described in 13.1. Any information collected in this way, for example, your UGM, the content of your voice and text communications, video of your gameplay, the time and location of your activities, and your name, your PSN Online ID and IP address, may be used by us or our affiliated companies to enforce these Terms and the SEN Terms of Service, to comply with the law, to protect our rights and those of our licensors and users, and to protect the personal safety of our employees and users. “This information may be passed to the police or other appropriate authorities. By accepting these Software Usage Terms, you expressly consent to this.” Elsewhere in the document, it's explained that any Software you use is "licensed, not sold, which means you acquire rights to use the Software, as described in these Terms, but you do not acquire ownership of the Software." With regards to Software resale, it continues "You must not resell either Disc-based Software or Software Downloads, unless expressly authorised by us and, if the publisher is another company, additionally by the publisher." While both paragraphs have caused some consternation online given Sony's previous statements that you'll be free to resell and trade games as you please, it's unlikely that this is anything suspect. The communication monitoring is probably an attempt to be upfront given all the privacy scandals that have taken place this year and what with the concerns consumers have expressed with Kinect. Besides, if you're not doing anything illegal there's nothing to fear. The resale of games similarly is probably just Sony watching its back and taking steps to prevent piracy or profiteering. Given how regularly it's been promised that the PS4 will allow you to sell and buy used games, it's highly unlikely that Sony's going to do an about-face in the week of its North American launch. Source: IGN
