> And it would be the government saying you can't do something, not BMW or Colt handguns.
I think this is a key point. Is it the government telling you that you can't do something (that is against the law) or a company using the law to prevent you doing something that they don't want you to do. I would guess that the former would be governed by criminal law and the latter by civil law - please correct me if I am wrong.
In this case, it is Sony using the law to try to prevent people learning how to root their PS3s and doing so through civil courts.
I think this is a key point. Is it the government telling you that you can't do something (that is against the law) or a company using the law to prevent you doing something that they don't want you to do. I would guess that the former would be governed by criminal law and the latter by civil law - please correct me if I am wrong.
In this case, it is Sony using the law to try to prevent people learning how to root their PS3s and doing so through civil courts.