Doesn't really protect your hardware if your lawsuit drives away all your fans forcing your product to be discontinued... like what happened with the Aibo.

Really, companies need to grow up and realize it's NOT their hardware.  Once they sell it, it's the consumers hardware to do with what they wish.

1) That they sued over the Aibo was just plain stupid, especially if it increased their sales by that much.

2) While the PS3/PSP is owned by the consumer, the fact that software gets pirated not only affects Sony, but also other companies as well. When you hear reports of companies, both big and small, saying that 50% of a game was pirated, I think something needs to be done. Also, if someone hacks a system and plays with a hacked character online and affects other people's gameplay, then it also becomes a problem.

Before, you could have your account setup on up to 5 systems of your choice.
When this was first reported in another thread it stated that the limit of total systems would be 2 which freaked me out. Seemed really low, especially considering the Vita releasing in a few months.

Now i'm reading that it's 2 for each system. 2 PS3s and 2 PSPs for a total of 4 systems that you can have a single account on? That seems reasonable to me. I'm assuming that the Vita will also be another 2 slots. The 5 PS3's thing was no doubt losing them money.

That's how I've been interpreting it and seems to be worded on the US Blog.

 Yeah... it effects companies by selling more hardware, and exposing their products to people who normally wouldn't play it... and that's about it.

At least if you believe the scientific studies done on the nature of piracy... vs baselss unscientific claims.

Not that it is particularly relevent, piracy isn't hardware modification.  If someone is pirating, you prosecute them for the software piracy.  Not modifying their hardware how they wish.

More like gained sales - noone would buy a lot of their PSN stuff at the prices they were offering ;)

Fifa or Battlefield 3 were 10 euro more expensive in digital version compared to retail.

Well, I guess it's hard to keep up with retailers' prices on games, compared to the digital prices. Don't forget that there are always two prices, one that is set by the publisher/developer, and then one set by the retailer. The prices set by retailers could be that way because of too much stock, or maybe a sale.

Companies, like Sony and Microsoft (as examples), put all people who modify their hardware into one category, though, which is the potential to pirate software or those that use hacks in online games. The first one does affect the companies that make or publish the games and the second one affects those other players online, who actually like to play legitly.

I would reckon, and this is just my own opinion, but most people who modify their hardware in some way is using it to play pirated games. True, there may be some who use the hardware for other reasons, but I don't see many people doing that.

Nothing of what you've said is actually relevent.  If people pirate your prosecute them for it.  If people hack, you ban their accounts from online.

It's a pretty simple and nonevasive process.

That was pre-order price. In Europe only people who don't care or casuals pay full price since it's always possible to find offer  below recomended prices.