An Australian court has given Sony PlayStation owners the right to "chip" their consoles to play imported and copied games, prompting cheers from the competition watchdog but sharp criticism from the Japanese firm.
The judgement by the Federal Court, handed down on Friday, contrasts with recent rulings in Britain and Canada, where Sony won copyright infringement cases against people using so-called mod chips to bypass regional coding.
Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, a unit of Sony Corp, said on Monday it was considering an appeal.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), however, hailed the ruling as a victory for consumers because regional coding of games -- and by extension DVDs -- limited consumer choice and access to competitively priced goods.
"Australian consumers can now enjoy games legitimately bought overseas, as well as authorized back-up copies, by legally having their games consoles chipped," ACCC chairman Allan Fels said in a statement titled "Game Over for Sony PlayStation."