Class Action Settlement Involving the PS2

[DeputyMoniker]

Did anybody else get this email? I checked up on it at http://www.us.playstation.com/
and they link to the same website that this email does.

An Important Notice from the Superior Court of the State of California, County of San Mateo, United States and from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Canada, About a Class Action Settlement Involving the PS2



IF YOU OWN A PS2, YOU COULD GET BENEFITS FROM THE SETTLEMENT.



A proposed settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit concerning the performance of the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system ("PS2"). You may be a member of the Class whose rights may be affected by this lawsuit. The sole purpose of this notice is to inform you of the lawsuit so that you may decide what steps to take in relation to it.

If the settlement is approved, Class Members who complete and return a Claim Form, on or before February 16, 2006, may be eligible to receive settlement benefits. The claim form may be accessed at www.PS2Settlement.com or obtained from the PS2 Settlement Administrator, c/o Rust Consulting, Inc., PO Box 1784, Faribault MN 55021-1784.

Whether you are entitled to benefits will depend upon which subclass you are in. You may also choose to exclude yourself from the settlement. There are deadlines associated with the choices you may make regarding the settlement, and the last day to submit completed claim forms, to object to the settlement or to opt out is February 16, 2006. More information describing your rights under the settlement, as well as instructions for filing a claim may be accessed by contacting the Settlement Administrator. To contact the Settlement Administrator, please access the website at www.PS2Settlement.com, call toll-free 1-800-352-5331, or write PS2 Settlement Administrator, c/o Rust Consulting, Inc., PO Box 1784, Faribault MN 55021-1784.

Pour accéder au site Web du Règlement, cliquez sur le lien suivant: www.PS2Settlement.com.

Why is there a settlement? (top)
The courts have not decided who is right or wrong. Instead, Plaintiffs and Defendants agreed to a settlement. That way, they avoid the costs and risks of a trial and, if the settlement is approved, benefits are provided to the Class.

How do I know if I am part of the settlement? (top)
You are a Class Member and part of the settlement if you purchased in the United States or Canada from a retailer a new, unused PS2 Console Model Number 30001, 30001R, 35001, 39001, 39010, 50001, or 50010. You are also a Class Member if you received a new, unused PS2 Console Model Number 30001, 30001R, 35001, 39001, 39010, 50001, or 50010 as a gift from the original purchaser.
How do I find my model number?

There are three subclasses within this Class. You are eligible for different benefits from the settlement depending on which of the subclasses you are in:

A. Recent Purchasers Subclass. You are part of the Recent Purchasers Subclass if you bought a PS2 Model 50001 or 50010 new at retail or received a new PS2 Model 50001 or 50010 which was purchased at retail as a gift on or after September 18, 2004, and your PS2 experienced the alleged problems described above, or develops these alleged problems within 13 months after the date it was purchased. If your PS2 has never exhibited any of the alleged problems described above, you should retain a link to this website anyway for use in the event that the PS2 displays these problems later. You will be eligible to receive repair or replacement benefits up to 13 months after the date your PS2 Model 50001 or 50010 was purchased new at retail.
B. Repair Fee Subclass. You are part of the Repair Fee Subclass if, within 13 months after the date your PS2 was purchased new at retail, you paid a SCEA authorized service provider to repair the PS2 for problems with allegedly inappropriate “Disc Read Error” messages, for alleged failure to play, or for allegedly damaging CDs or DVDs during play.
C. Loss of Use Subclass. You are part of the Loss of Use Subclass if, within 13 months after the date your PS2 was purchased: (a) your PS2 had problems with allegedly inappropriate “Disc Read Error” messages, alleged failure to play, or alleged damage to CDs or DVDs during playback; (b) you contacted SCEA or Plaintiffs’ Attorneys for repair information; and (c) you did not have the PS2 repaired because of the cost.

[Ed Oscuro]

Heh, remember all those times people said "if there was something wrong with the PS2, Sony would be getting sued!"

I do.

Still, whaddya expect? It's consumer hardware, like PCs except employing much cheaper components and thus even more likely to go bad.