Sony has confirmed that they are getting rid of their Online Pass program.  The confirmation came from Sony's ginormous PS4 FAQ.  One of the questions on there was if PS4 games would require an Online Pass.  Sony responded with the following message:

"First-party titles on PS4 (titles developed by Sony Computer Entertainment) will not use an Online Pass program."

Sony began its Online Pass program back in 2011 with Resistance 3.  Like with other Online Pass programs from other publishers it was automatically hated.  Every 1st party Sony title since has had one including this year's God of War: Ascension and The Last of Us.

However, just because Sony is killing their Online Pass program doesn't mean everyone is.  "When it comes to third-party titles, PlayStation won’t dictate the strategy of publishers concerning Online Pass programs. However, most third parties have phased out the use of Online Pass systems, so they’re unlikely to appear on PS4."

Online Passes came into prominence a few years ago as a way for publishers to make a bit of money from used game sales.  It started off innocently, but like all ideas in the hands of major corporations it quickly turned evil.  Some publishers began locking out single player content, which made many angry.  To this date, Ubisoft is the only major 3rd party publisher still using an Online Pass program.

The PS4 is out November 15 in North America and November 29 in Europe across 32 countries.