Um...they're not ripping off Live. Online gaming has been around since way before Seganet, and there are just certain things all gamers need/want when playing. Rankings became big with fpses. Chat has been the main way of doing things since forever, and so on. It definitely looks like they're pursuing a lot of the same ideas that MS did, but it just like no-brainer stuff with just tighter integration. I think they're more focused on making this a successful appendage to their big media network. A lot of this functionality should be included in their music and video sections of the network too. PEACE.
EDIT: And it better be free, b/c I ain't paying for shit. I already pay my ISP.