Sony's legal attacks on the hackers behind the recent release of the PlayStation 3 master keys and custom firmware have only begun, but a California judge has raised questions about where the case should be tried. Sony argued that California courts have jurisdiction due to the use of a Paypal account and George Hotz agreeing to the Terms of Service on the PlayStation Network, but San Francisco district court judge Susan Illston didn't think the issue was that cut and dried.

"If having a PayPal account were enough [for California to have jurisdiction], then there would be personal jurisdiction in this court over everybody, and that just can't be right," she stated, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz. "That would mean the entire universe is subject to my jurisdiction, and that's a really hard concept for me to accept."

The ruling on where the case should be tried has been pushed back, and no specific time frame for a decision has been given. Sony has asked for a temporary restraining order to keep the data off the Internet. It also wants the computer equipment used to crack the system and create the firmware, as well as monetary damages. The arguments for the case to be tried in California, not to mention the case for injunctive relief and monetary damages, are based on somewhat shaky and untested legal ground. This is not a good start for the consumer electronics giant.