Console mod-chippers busted in nationwide raids
Posted on August 2nd, 2007 by bile Categories and Tags: Uncategorized, copyright monopoly law, Entertainment, Entertainment Software Association, freedom, hardware, Julie L. Myers, liberty, media centers, mod chips, police, politics, property, software piracy, Technology, USA, videogames“Illicit devices like the ones targeted today are created with one purpose in mind, subverting copyright protections,” said Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in a statement. “These crimes cost legitimate businesses billions of dollars annually and facilitate multiple other layers of criminality, such as smuggling, software piracy and money laundering.”
Despite Myers’ assertion that mod chips are created for the sole purpose of subverting copyright, the truth is that they are popular with gamers for a number of reasons—some of which arise from frustrations related to fair use. Mod chips extend the functionality of the consoles, allowing gamers to load full games onto hard drives (making it easier to lug one’s favorite games to a friend’s house), use the consoles as media centers, and play homebrew content. In contrast, the hardware companies and the Entertainment Software Association can’t stand them because they can also be used to play pirated discs; that’s the rationale given by the ICE for the raids.
This is going to be a DMCA issue I’m sure of it. Funny how someone who is supposed to be related to homeland security is knocking down the doors of people selling little PCBs which allow others to use their private property as they see fit. I agree with the concept of copyright. I think however the laws have fallen behind the times. For example: software which is no longer sold or supported (abandonedware) should no longer be held under the copyright monopoly law. Only the abstract should allow continue use, like characters. Copyright infringement is something the government should be judging on… it should not however be actively searching out infringers. Like patents and trademarks it should be the owners responsibility to investigate and bring charges against individuals.
4 Responses to “Console mod-chippers busted in nationwide raids”
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August 2nd, 2007 at 2:03 pm
What always scares me the most about this stuff is not necessarily the lack of knowledge amongst the people creating/revising legislation pertaining to technology, but how little they seem to want to know. Why do people have to actively lobby these representatives, why don’t they seek out and talk to people involved in technology.
August 2nd, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Why should they? Their priorities are usually based around power and wealth. Even if they wanted to they wouldn’t have the time. Our federal government is full of career politicians. They do nothing but argue thousands of topics which the founders never imagined they’d assume power over. Even the good guys like Ron Paul spend all their time just fighting everyone else. If they actually solved problems they’d have nothing to do and those old Congress must meet at least once a year requirements may actually come into play.
August 2nd, 2007 at 6:33 pm
So what do you recommend? A decrease in bureaucracy? A decrease in what they have control over? Citizen politicians? How would you implement it?
August 2nd, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Yes, yes, no.
Ideally, no government. In the least I’ll settle with minarchism.
In the short term rolling back to what we had before FDR, Woodrow Wilson and Abraham Lincoln, the Supreme Court justices and legislative branch members at the times completely destroyed the original intent of the founding fathers.