One point that seems to be missing from this thread is that no one "owns" their purchased copy or anything that's been downloaded from Sony. It's licensed. Sony owns the software they've provided to anyone, be it from a purchase from a retailer or from a download. When push comes to shove, if Sony really wanted to, they could go way beyond annoying people with the C&D orders. As Mattmeck said, there are other points to take into consideration beyond copyrighted images and patch servers.
An interesting case happened a few years back when a Adtran introduced a low-cost router that ran on what appeared to be pirated software from Cisco. In actuality, the only thing that was similar to Cisco's software was the UI, and the court ruled that since the code running the router was unique and completely different from the code that Cisco used, Adtran was in the clear. They ruled the UI is just that.. an interface, not the OS, and therefore, not an infringement of copyright.
Boog
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