New patent uses load times to determine whether software is being pirated.

Sony has filed a new patent which uses load times as a way of determining whether software is pirated.

The patent--which was filed in 2011, published last week, and dug up by DarkZero--establishes the typical loading times for legitimate software and then runs all loading times through these benchmarks. If the software does not load within the acceptable time frame then the antipiracy tech kicks in and stops the game from being played.

The full patent, titled Benchmark Measurement For Legitimate Duplication Validation, shows a secondary validation process that kicks in if the software fails to load within Sony's acceptable time range.

But failing to pass the secondary validation process brings the potential of being blocked, presumably from Sony's online PlayStation Network services.

Sony's latest patent has surfaced less than a week after the company formally announced the next-gen PlayStation 4, suggesting the possibility that Sony might incorporate this patent into its suite of antipiracy measures for its next console.

For more information on the PlayStation 4, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.

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