Sony has filed a patent application for blocking used games in consoles, such as radio frequency identification. This method would tie games to a specific console, allowing it to check to see if the content was restricted before allowing it to be played.
“As a result, the dealing of electronic content in the second-hand markets is suppressed, which in turn supports the redistribution of part of proceeds from sales of the electronic content to the developers,” notes the patent. “Though in the following description a game application is exemplified as the electronic content, the present embodiment is similarly applicable to various kinds of electronic content such as an office suite, images, and music content.”
Speculation has run rampant whether Sony would block used games in its next home console, though they have yet to offer an official statement on the matter. For the record, Sony filed for this patent in Japan back in April 2010, and filed it in the U.S. in September 2012.
Source: FreePatentsOnline.com
