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Nintendo, Hong Kong Team on Mod Chip Factory Raid

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 23, 2007 - 12:01pm.

Redmond, Wash. - Nintendo has announced that, at the company's request, the Hong Kong High Court has ordered raids on an operation that was distributing "mod chips," which can be added to its DS and Wii game systems to enable support for pirated games.

tags: Games | Law | Piracy | Nintendo | Copyright | Mod Chips | Supreme Factory Limited |

U.S. Authorities Target Game Console Mod Chips in 16-State Raid

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 2, 2007 - 10:16am.

Washington - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that it conducted raids on businesses, storefronts and residences on Wednesday in 16 states, related to an investigation into the alleged sale and distribution of illegal video game console mod chips and disc copyright circumvention devices.

tags: Games | Law | Sony | Microsoft | Nintendo | DMCA | ESA | Mod Chips | ICE |

Hawaiian Xbox Mod Chip Distributor Gets Prison Sentence

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 26, 2007 - 8:49am.

Washington - A 27-year-old Hawaiian man has been sentenced to four months in prison after pleading guilty to charges he distributed Xbox video game consoles he had modified so they could play pirated games.

tags: Games | Law | Piracy | Xbox | Mod Chips | Entertainment Software Association |

Game Industry Lauds $9 Million Verdict Against "Mod Chip" Traffickers

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 5, 2006 - 3:37pm.
Washington - The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a video game industry trade group, on Thursday applauded a recent federal court decision in California that ordered makers of "mod chips" that allow game consoles to play pirated games to pay $9 million in damages. The Sept. 11 verdict from U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken said that a company called Divineo and several individuals violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by trafficking in mod chips and HDLoaders, which allow copies of games to be downloaded directly onto a game console's hard drive.
tags: Games | Law | Tech | Piracy | CE | DMCA | Law Enforcement | ESA | Chips | Mod Chips | Verdicts |

Aussie High Court Rules PlayStation "Mod Chips" Legal

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 6, 2005 - 9:40am.
Sydney - Australia's highest court has ruled that "mod chips" for Sony's PlayStation 2 video game console, which can alter the device so that it plays imported or pirated games, are legal, Australian IT reported. The unanimous ruling from the High Court follows an appeal won by Sony before the full bench of the Federal Court. The High Court invalidated Sony's claim that its regional coding on the PlayStation 2 constitutes copyright protection, which was then being circumvented by the mod chips; the court reasoned that since no unauthorized copy of the game is created using the mod chips, no copyright infringement had occurred. The court ruling will create some confusion in Australia, where the government recently agreed to amend copyright laws in the country to outlaw the underlying technology behind mod chips. PlayStation 2 mod chips are illegal in the U.S. under the anti-circumvention clause of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and were ruled illegal in the U.K. in July 2004, where Sony has since successfully litigated against several mod chip suppliers.
tags: Law | PlayStation | Aussie High Court | Mod Chips |

Sony Wins U.K. Copyright Case Against PlayStation "Mod Chips"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 22, 2004 - 4:47am.
London -- The U.K. High Court on Wednesday set a landmark ruling when it said that "mod" chips, used to alter Sony's PlayStation 2 so that it can play imported or pirated games, violates the newly implemented European Union Copyright Directive. The court ruling outlawed the sale, possession, use and advertising of mod chips in the U.K. Like DVD players, game consoles have "regional coding" that prevents games sold in the U.S., for example, from playing on PlayStations sold in Europe or Asia. "This case… confirms in the clearest possible terms that Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has the right to prevent the illegal infringement of our intellectual property rights, and those of third party games developers," said Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president David Reeves. "We are sending a clear message to manufacturers and distributors of mod chips throughout the PAL territories that we will continue to pursue legal action against them." Despite the U.K. ruling, mod chips have been found to be a legal option for gamers in other regions like Italy and Australia. Mod chip advocates say that the devices often allow them to play games that publishers have not seen fit to release in their region.
tags: Law | Sony | Copyright | U.K | PlayStation | Mod Chips |

Italian Court OKs PlayStation "Mod Chips"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 26, 2004 - 2:35am.
London -- An Italian court has ruled that "mod chips" for Sony's PlayStation 2, which allow the console to play imported game discs and other software, are legal and in fact encourage healthy competition for Sony, U.K. news site TheRegister reported. The ruling comes out of a hearing held after Italian police confiscated a shipment of modified PlayStation 2 consoles. The court ruled that the seizure was illegal, relying on an Italian law that says consumers may do whatever they wish with goods once legally purchased. Additionally, the court said that mod chips helped to "avoid monopolistic positions" and "improve the possibilities for use of the PlayStation." The ruling is a blow to Sony and other gaming firms, which have won rulings in other nations banning the sale of mod chips.
tags: Law | PlayStation | Mod Chips | Italian |