How to use PSN without waiving your legal rights

Recently, Sony has updated their Terms of Service to include a clause requiring users to waive their right to file a class-action lawsuit against the company if they want to continue using the PlayStation Network. Of course, this (rightly) doesn’t sit well for many gamers, even if they have no intention of suing the company, but were left with little choice if they wanted to continue playing online and buying content.

Well, it turns out that you can indeed opt out of this clause while also being able to use PSN, although Sony aren’t exactly trumpeting this from the rooftops. Instructions for this are actually buried deep in Section 15 of the new TOS (page 17!), which reads as follows:

RIGHT TO OPT OUT OF BINDING ARBITRATION AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER WITHIN 30 DAYS. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE BOUND BY THE BINDING ARBITRATION AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER IN THIS SECTION 15, YOU MUST NOTIFY SNEI IN WRITING WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE DATE THAT YOU ACCEPT THIS AGREEMENT. YOUR WRITTEN NOTIFICATION MUST BE MAILED TO 6080 CENTER DRIVE, 10TH FLOOR, LOS ANGELES, CA 90045, ATTN: LEGAL DEPARTMENT/ARBITRATION AND MUST INCLUDE: (1) YOUR NAME, (2) YOUR ADDRESS, (3) YOUR PSN ACCOUNT NUMBER, IF YOU HAVE ONE, AND (4) A CLEAR STATEMENT THAT YOU DO NOT WISH TO RESOLVE DISPUTES WITH ANY SONY ENTITY THROUGH ARBITRATION.

So to recap, send your name, address, PSN account number (PSN ID, basically), and a clear statement noting that you have no intention of resolving a legal dispute with Sony through an arbitrator to the following address within 30 days of your accepting the new terms of service:

SNEI
6080 Center Drive
10th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90045
ATTN: Legal Department/Arbitration

Remember: Just because you have no intention of exercising your legal rights doesn’t mean that you should let them be taken away from you.

Source: IGN

Readers Comments (2)

  1. im going back to xbl. screw sony.

  2. I just got off the phone with Sony and for those of you who are trying to find out your PSN account #. They told me to just use my account ID instead.

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