It looks to me like Sony fired all the marketing staff and replaced them with lawyers. How else do you explain this?

The latest rumor, generated from several patent sites, claims that Sony has secured a patent for a disk technology that prevents the use of used, as well as pirated, software.

What that means - if they intend to use it in the PlayStation 3 - is that you wouldn't be able to rent games. Or share them. If that's true, none of the staff left at Sony have actually watched how people interact with their products. We have a Nintendo GameCube. My daughter and her friends are always bringing new games to each others houses to try them out. Is Nintendo losing money from this? Heck no - it's generated a number of sales that might not have happened otherwise, as my daughter (and her friends) have bought games they first played during one of these sharing sessions.

Even if they intend to use this on Blu-Ray only, it's a bad idea. What if someone brings a CD/DVD to a party? Good gosh, it might attract more potential buyers! We can't have that! Maybe Sony didn't fire all the marketers; maybe they just beat them senseless.