Comments on: Feds' raids hit alleged mod chip smugglers

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in 16 states go after gear that lets gamers play pirated wares on Wii, Xbox and other consoles.

[BroGnorik]

Here is a problem

The current copyright technologies does not allow to use a backedup copy of your game. I would rather make a up backup of my games, DVD's and CD's, so the original does not get damaged.

I fully understand that in most cases these chips are being used for illegal activities.

I believe the manufacturers, should make a program that first detects if you have the game console, and that it is registered. If so, allow you to make one backup of the disc once per year.

Keep a database of all the copies that each user makes, and see if they are being played at the same time.

If they are then call in the authorities. It is not illegal to make or use backups of disc you own. Once you sell/trade your disc, then all copies made needs to be destroyed.

[chris__anderson]

backups are perfectly legal to own

no where in the DMCA does it say that backups are illegal. you can make copies all day long as long as you don't circumvent the copy protection put in place to prevent the making of copies.

circumvention is what is illegal. so creating, distributing or using a circumvention device is illegal, but the idea of a backup itself is perfectly legal.

the fact that it is impossible to make the backup legally is immaterial.

[palmer795]

I don't see where they come up with these figures

Personally most people that copyright enfringe most of these games are too poor to buy the real thing in the first place. So it's not like they would be going out and buying the game if they had to. They just wouldn't.

[markman24]

Our law enforcement at work pathetic!!!

This is why our country is going into the toilet. We have Feds that consider catching teenagers, 20 and 30 somethings that are poor yet harmless yet that don't focus more on the serious issues like drugs smugglers, sexual predators, illegal immigration, car ring thefts, home invasion and buglaries etc.. I can bet a few hundred dollars that the feds that end up taking the modded consoles will end up playing it themselves. FEDS, Police, Law enforcement!!! Do your job please and stop messing around with little things. It is Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo to deal with their own stuff.

[phaedrus06]

Sigh...

Nobody really listens to the other side in this whole matter of copyright and digital "stealing." By nobody I mean the stereotypical corporations vs the public at large scenario. Sure companies are happy that now less people will be modding there products, and supposedly they'll save millions by stopping these thieves. But in all technicality these companies are not really losing the money that they claim?

Usually the people who do this modding or hacking do it for the novelty of having a machine that has simply the ability to do those seemingly illegal things. Little money is lost there. Those that do it to steal copies of games to play for free largely, that is some where around 80% of them never would have bought the game anyway, so again no sale lost. These people would get friends games to borrow or find a used one for like 70% cheaper in which case the game makers get no more sales again.

Besides all in all what this comes down too is digital data. It is free basically to make minus the cost of a computer and the electricity to do it, so it is not as if someone is losing the manufacturing cost as one would find with physical goods like the cost of the actual game console. One might venture to say that the cost of production lies with the games makers, i.e. the software writers and corporate big shots, but they make their money back after the first few thousand games are sold which when mixed in with their marketing deals and campaigns for each game will get them more than a pretty profit for each game. And then say when a game does extremely well like the Metal Gear series or Madden Football they make millions and millions.

Game makers really haven't lost that much money, just like Microsoft never lost the billions of dollars they claim because those millions of people in China I'm sure would have all gone down to there local computer store to buy a legit copy. If it was the case that MS was not so easily obtainable then everyone would run Linux because they would not pay for it. So basically what it all comes down to is money and marketing as usual. The companies just want to seem big and scary to keep people in line, so they get the MPAA and the Feds to attack all who oppose. That and they may actually believe they'll get a millions of dollars more if they curbed hacking, which they won't.

Facts are facts, game sales have not gone down but rather up, CD's DVD's are still selling but with the advent of online LEGAL movie and music downloading and renting like at the Apple Store, Napster, and Blockbuster people have less of a need or desire to buy the actual PHYSICAL DVD or CD and just get the data. Games too are now entering that same realm if they haven't already been there for years and so perhaps a decline will eventually occur with that too.

All in all I understand companies need to keep people in fear, just so modding and hacking won't get too far and they do lose a significant profit. So people of the world, hacking and modding is a great thing: keep it up but keep it at a reasonable level in terms of industry products. We cannot have them suing all of us for our grandfathers making a single copy of a children's video to give to our young nephew.

Cheers.

[stlwest]

Joey, the PS3 Hacker at Large, do not approach

I mean I realize that modding game systems is illegal but should we really be focusing vital government resources on making sure Joey doesn't hack his PS3. Are they gonna try Joey as an adult because he must have been pretty smart to outwit Super Beohemoth Sony, or Microsoft, or Nintendo, Oh, he just bought this from some guy who bought it from a guy who works for Sony, Oh then we can't try him as an adult, lets fine him and take away his PS3 damnit.

Definately don't hold the companies responsible for making stuff that causes kids to blow all their time and not get thier **** done, forget what playing outside is all about and basically accomplish nothing while trying to get to the next level.