Federal Agents Go After Gaming Pirates: Several US Modchip Stores Raided Posted by XanTium | August 1 17:57 EST | News Category: Xbox_Xbox360

From news.yahoo.com: [QUOTE] Federal customs agents Wednesday raided more than 30 businesses and homes in 16 states, looking for devices that allow pirated video games to play on Wiis, PlayStation 2s and Xboxes. The alleged sale and distribution of illegal modification chips and copyright circumvention devices for the popular consoles and others included 32 search warrants in 16 states, said the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE declined to release the names of those targeted but said they are allegedly responsible for importing, installing, selling and distributing foreign-made devices smuggled into the U.S. Illegal chips and other devices used on gaming consoles violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. Sales of counterfeit or illegally obtained games costs the industry about $3 billion a year globally, not including Internet piracy, estimates the Entertainment Software Association trade group. Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft Corp. issued a statement applauding ICE's efforts to reduce piracy and protect the gaming industry's intellectual property. A company spokeswoman would not divulge Microsoft's individual piracy losses. The raids were conducted in: California, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. [/QUOTE] We have strong indications that several big US modchip resellers were hit by the raid, but we don't have exact details yet. Full Story: news.yahoo.com

Wow I'm glad I got my stuff last week, wonder how much this will effect everything in the short term or for those waiting on orders.

Illinois? Isn't modchipman in Illinois? If it's not that one, it's another, but I know one of them is based out of Illinois. The DMCA is way too broad. Things that allow homebrew should be fair use. It's not the sellers fault if those that purchase the items want to commit crimes. Don't punish everyone for the few.

I thought it was legal to sell modchips as long as there was not hacked copyrighted code on it?

Oh dear. I placed and order with real hot stuff today. I wonder if I will ever get it. My timing a luck with all these kind of things has been impeccable, looks like I might have finally got the short end of the stick.

I hope AppleGuru is ok I'm sure he sells stuff in America as well.

It's Legal to sell Xbox 1 mod chips if they have cromwell linux bootloader on them.

So you can't play backups then so I hate people that immediately think mod chips cause the industry to lose money. They don't, they allow homebrew, something which corporations don't allow fully then we wouldn't need mod chips.

i hear Otbmods and mcm

Man I think the first batch of chips I got years and years ago had cromwell. After that every batch I got had more shady bios's on them. Mind you I'm sure they never expected this.

Almost. It's illegal to sell any item that circumvents copy protection.

Otbmods for sure I would say. Try to visit the page.

wow, this could be really really bad news...numerous stores sell and ship out of US sites and there were raids in numerous states...dang this may not be good at all...



exactly, which frustrates me since those chips and not illegal and should not be permanently confiscated in the raid but we all know that the authorities do not understand technology in the first place and would not know what is really illegal or not...

Well Mcm sure did

OTBmods is down... "closed until further notice". I'd say they got hit.

This REALLY does not bode well... and to think I was about to get back into Xbox1 modding. Could be a while now.

www.norcalmods.com - Closed

They were looking for Imported stuff from China And Canada And any kind of chip of course. They took every console that did not have a warrenty sticker on it. I also repair many game consoles for DVD drive problems and the 3ROL issues they took those also. They say they were looking for the big fish I hope I am not one of them. In my eyes I am not a bi fish but this is the govenment people they can do any thing they wish. I did not get arrested but they said they would be back Like the terminator.

Well, bummer... not to be a conspiracy theorist... or pessimistic... but don't they have the names of everyone that has purchased a product from these dealers now???

Well... time to get rid of my consoles....

They took my database and all my email records so potentional anyone that has ordered such a device from any of the sellers raided will be known by them one way or another.

This smells like fun...

wow, im moving over seas where copyright means crap.

Man....sucks otbmods got closed down

Hurray for Canada!!! Man those guys at Divineo will be happy!

The laws are stupid.

You can buy a modchip and use it for homebrew or use it for piracy.

You can buy a gun/knife/other weapon and use it for sport/hunting or you can kill people with it.

Should just stop selling weapons too while they are at it. Murders hurt more than piracy of rich companies.

Canada or China best 2 choices

Well... That sucks for Appleguru, I don't know if he owned OTBmods or what. But he sold to many many people here on the scene. Who knows, they might even investigate into those records and start tagging people who bought a lot of chips from him. Hopefully not, but they seem to be sticking it wherever they like lately...

Werks sorry to here about the bad fortune. Money always talks and enforcement of DMCA law is not a moral issue to clean up the town, it is all about the benjamins and pressure from the companies that have them all!

Well Said!
Its time to move on anyway.

Given the circumstances, please don't ask for personal identities.

Sorry,
I meant to say "are you associated with one of the stores"... didn't want personal logistics

wow these are some interesting times, i wonder what hsdemonz has to say about this.His opinions on subject matters like these always interest me

time to hide my consoles?

I'm waiting for a more finalized list of downed shops before I comment fully. All I can say is that I'm not shocked.. but at the same time my heart goes out to some of those shops. While I don't agree with the US laws, and specifically the DCMA, it is the law in that country.

It's always been risky for US shops while working and operating a shop under that piece of legislation.

Guess if nothing else I've found a new topic to consider and write about on the blog.

What a shitty week so far.

Oh, crap. So much for my newfound hobby.

Everything that has a beginning has an end.

this is crap... if my xbox wasn't modded and i didn't have XBMC on it i would have stopped using it ages ago, other than for the occasional halo

allowing people to run homebrew on consoles has made my xbox probably my favorite entertainment item short of my guitar

homebrew lets people spend time tapping their creative juices and expands the capabilites of consoles far beyong anything that companies can create... this should not be illegal

i have no sympathy for people who get busted for installing chips and throwing in copied games... these people deserve to get caught and shut down

the US government needs to stop paying attention to the special interest groups that lobby for these though laws and examine it themselves and make the appropriate changes. XS is a perfect example of illustrating how deep the homebrew community is and that most people aren't pro-distribution of copyrighted software

My friend (who lives in Michigan) ordered the modchip I recommended him (at http://www.divineo.cn/cgi-bin/div-cn/xb-duox2cr.html) more than a week ago. He still has not received it in the mail, although it supposedly shipped. I was wondering if this could have anything to do with why he still has not received the chip.

this site was working yesterday, I guess this guy was one of the raided ones or maybe he got scared http://norcalmods.com/

its sad, it was so convenient ordering from otb and mcm now I might have to buy from divineo

I bet most of the agents who took part in the raids have at least one copied DVD/CD/game in their home I wonder how they feel busting someone for a crime they too have commited and not been punished for.

Probably not wise to be blurting out webshop names here either. This is a public thread that can be seen by ANYONE.

Don't go hiding your consoles. This doesn't mean they are going to come after you now too. That requires way to much bs for them on their end to even bother with. They are only going to even bother with the big guys. But I do agree it is bs unless they were selling pirated games as well. Then they got what they deserved.

wow. I think the US is actually trying to get rid of me. I've been building a rather lengthy list of reasons to leave, looks like it just got a lot bigger

I echo that.

i better hide my BETA Gentoo LiveCD!

pretty sad actually that it comes down to this.

Take all the people making money of pirated software to jail, leave the honest business people alone.

I'm assuming they pay taxes on their business, with legitimate products, which also get taxed, and they get infiltrated?

lame.

Whew...good to know murderers, pedophiles, drug dealers, corrupt politicians, etc. can all sleep soundly, knowing the feds are using their resources going after the REAL criminals.

Oh my God, I see mod chips as tools, dose the Government go to Wal-Mart, Sears, Home Depot and compensated there stock of tools, because we all know we can use those tools to take apart a Door, Break in to a safe, OPEN CONSUMER ELECTRONICS. Whats next raid in to every home in the US looking for pirated music, because we ALL know that not one kid in Junior/Middle/High school owns one song they have (I'm not even going to get started on Collages). Or how about this for the next thing to stop piracy, stopping sales of writable media.

This is all thanks to MICROSOFT.



Nicely said.

Just a random thought, I hear about this and a Bridge falls in Minneapolis, MN (one of the Targeted City's)

Doesn't this happen like once a year? Seems like they are going after people who are doing a little "more" than installing and selling modchips otherwise they would have nothing to go after them for.

What's extremely odd to me is who exactly is the victim of this "crime" anyway? If this was about software piracy, then the victims would be the software publishers and creators, but since they're targetting "chips", then who is claiming the loss? Is this a joint-suit, or an independant orginazation that's going to reap the "loss recovery" that hasn't necessarily occured?

Wow thats not good. From now on NO HABLA Nothing. .

MN??? That's were I am (yeah 6 dead from I-35W bridge.) Llama was probably a target, I hope they make out okay. Is a matter of criminal or civil law, or both?

its great to live in canada... we don't care about copyrights and piracy here... =)

Llamma may have been, though they dont sell chips on there website. i odered a case, smds, and other junk tuseday night and have heard nothing from them today (wednesday). i ordered just a week ago and they answer all my email, and today no response on my order or emails (even tried calling)....???????? hope alls okay, just spent $90.00 bucks. never bought a chip, just want my order!!!!!!!!!!!!!

we should list shops we think are hit (the feds wont). whats the harm if the damage is done?