Modchip search warrants surfaces on the web

[bandit]

Following the news (http://reviews.dcemu.co.uk/federal-agents-go-after-gaming-pirates-70056.html) of federal agents raiding businesses/homes, Consoletech.net has uploaded scans of the FBI search warrant for a premises that was searched as part of a crack down on mod chips. They go so far as to also take pictures of the premise and provide a detail description of the location. They seize all videogame items and computers to find any modchips and games on the computer.

Source: Consoletech (http://consoletech.net/forum/showthread.php?p=813#post813)

[splodger15]

Shit they are seriously after people

[Safari Al]

wow i didn't think it'd get so serious

[CoderX]

They are after Download sites two

PSPCrazy was just ordered to shut down their download section

[PLZKLLME0080]

crap i hope they dont go after us!!! This is the best homebrew site, i dont want to see it taken down FOREVER. :(

[g00gy]

even though modchips harm developers. you must admit they did help with sales. look at the ps1 ps2 and psp. especially the fact of homebrew. infact i remember when i brought my psp. and the only reason i did get it was for the homebrew and only that.

[wolfpack]

thats just sad, they treat him like hes a criminal that deserves prison time. all because he has mod-chips. its not like he raped anyone or mugged anyone. this is just sick to me.

[PLZKLLME0080]

thats just sad, they treat him like hes a criminal that deserves prison time. all because he has mod-chips. its not like he raped anyone or mugged anyone. this is just sick to me.

they are probably gonna make it look like he did. either that or make it look like he used them to download illegal underage porn or something.

[Squidman]

well this is crap, some people use modchips to use homebrew or modify a game for personal use [very hot example of such would be Halo1 & 2]

it's just the jagoffs that illegally download games, but searching games on a computer could also bring about controversy, as a lot of people [such as myself] back up games to store on the computer and use via memstick [in such event that i lose the UMD in question or my UMD drive breaks].

[Gene]

Holy shit. This better be a warning to anyone who has illegal copies of games to throw them the hell out.

[CreativeMind]

either that or make it look like he used them to download illegal underage porn or something.

No, they will "conveniently" find child-porn on his computer. As they will with the others that the U.S. government has unduly and unjustifiably detained. I can almost see the next set of headlines now: "Federal Search Warrants Lead to Pedophile Ring" and the subset "Modchippers really perverts afterall?" Fear a government that controls its people. Remember our government was setup to fear its people.

[VampDude]

Even if they shut sites others will soon appear!

[watupgroupie]

My question is will they go after people in candada or the uk. I'm a candadian but i don't see how they would have the rights to come up here and arrest me. I don't even have downloaded games or modchips but just wondering if they can.

[goliath182]

Well If they start raiding houses in Australian I'll gather up my "backup" games and get rid of those and use this as a weapon against them.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,16832497-15306,00.html

[VampDude]

Well If they start raiding houses in Australian I'll gather up my "backup" games and get rid of those and use this as a weapon against them.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,16832497-15306,00.html

And what when that law becomes over ruled?

[opiate81]

And what when that law becomes over ruled?

I think it was overruled from being illegal to being legal
if I remember right it was included in the free trade agreement with the US that modchips be made illegal (what a joke) then what was written in the article happened

[BelmontSlayer]

No, they will "conveniently" find child-porn on his computer. As they will with the others that the U.S. government has unduly and unjustifiably detained. I can almost see the next set of headlines now: "Federal Search Warrants Lead to Pedophile Ring" and the subset "Modchippers really perverts afterall?" Fear a government that controls its people. Remember our government was setup to fear its people.

Perfectly worded! As once said by one of our Presidents...

"People should not fear their government; governments should fear their people." ~Thomas Jefferson

[Joe88]

My question is will they go after people in candada or the uk. I'm a candadian but i don't see how they would have the rights to come up here and arrest me. I don't even have downloaded games or modchips but just wondering if they can.

recent changes to CA. copyright law can give full right for them to sue people up there

[emuking]

well piracy is wrong, but damn they're invading peoples houses like they robbed a bank or something, so much wasted resouces, dumb pigs

[Veskgar]

"People should not fear their government; governments should fear their people." ~Thomas Jefferson


Fear a government that controls its people. Remember our government was setup to fear its people.

Yeah, those are a couple of the best quotes ever. And it holds special meaning being American. Until the government is perfect and stops making its own mistakes, I don't find it anywhere near acceptable for them to interfere with how I use my game systems. If I want to use custom firmwares, modded consoles, homebrew, etc., I will. And I think we need to watch these developments closely and keep our voices of opposition heard.

Also, I'm curious about the details. What exactly are they going after, what would make someone at risk?

[John Vattic]

My psp is 1.5 . no modchip needed. already homebrew capable. just the way sony made it. does that mean they can seize my psp?

it's my psp and i can do with it what i damn well please.

i agree with the quotes. Allow me to add one.

"Those who would sacrifice liberty for safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety" - Benjamin Franklin;)

use as directed is for slaves.

play on players!:thumbup:

[Skyline9363]

Hmm I can see alot more sites being shutdown in the future and alot more reports of houses being raided.

[Bane King]

I'm sorry but what exactly is the purpose of a PSP modchip? Sounds like a waste of money to me.

I'm relieved t see that consolesource is still around.
I thought it was US based and they have the same chips wanted by FBI on their main page.

In any case, these console creators are doing this all wrong. If they want to totally stop piracy, they need to stop with regional blocks. They would have a reasonable argument because that's what these so called "HOMEBREWERS" are using as an excuse. I'm not saying that everyone is using it for piracy but I doubt very much that everyone who says they are not actually using it properly. I would go as far as to say that there is less than a 1% ratio of people use it for legal purpose.

That's right I said it. The only people who use modchips for complete legal purposes are the homebrew creators and a VERY small handful of loyal followers. I foresee alot of flames for this one but if you don't fall under this category then you have nothing to be offended about but the others know who they are.

[splodger15]

I'm sorry but what exactly is the purpose of a PSP modchip? Sounds like a waste of money to me.

Google some of the PSP modchips then you will probaly see they are not a waste of money






In any case, these console creators are doing this all wrong. If they want to totally stop piracy, they need to stop with regional blocks. They would have a reasonable argument because that's what these so called "HOMEBREWERS" are using as an excuse.

Thats not going to stop piracy what so ever..

There is only one true way to stop piracy and it is to lower the game prices ok the companys are not going to make as much but atleast they are not losing loads of money to piracy you will be supprised how piracy will decrease if the prices drop.



The only people who use modchips for complete legal purposes are the homebrew creators and a VERY small handful of loyal followers.

Not true you will probaly find that most homebrew developers also use the chip for piracy reasons.

[gamerremag]

they didnt say anything about ps3 mod chips !

also, splodger, would you care if i bent the rules and refered to your site?

[acn010]

lol... soon, everything will be over
and, isnt the us government made from the people itself? government made by people,,,, bla bla bla i say this whole crap is unconstitutional!!!!!!

[marios_shadow]

This is so utterly ridiculous...
I can't even verbalize my frustration over this, it's so stupid, If they take down the sellers, the people who make the chip's are still going to make them, and it's not like I couldn't take a ferry to Canada and buy a chip while I'm there...
What people seem to be unable to comprehend is that no matter how many pirate sites or copyright circumvention software/hardware they take down or make illegal, there are going to be more the next day...
And attacking the sellers, searching the sellers homes, confiscating stuff (Completely unrelated in most cases I've read), isn't going to help one bit.

And on top of that, isn't there some little thing going on in Iraq that we're supposed to be focusing our resources on..? I can't seem to remember...

Our government's priorities are f-ed up...

[the_eternal_dark]

I'd rather console companies just make their consoles region free so that there is no "excuse" to buy modchips in the first place.

Steam has something that is possibly the best idea for piracy protection. We will probably see something like that later on for consoles.

I'm all for people having a choice to do what they want, but some of you are really stupid in the way you do it. Torrents are the best ways for getting what you want. If you don't know how to hide yourself, and the things you do, I have no pity for you at all. You deserve to be caught.

By the way, our government sucks, there is no getting around it. I agree this is a waste of resources. I see it ending shortly though, due to the wasted time and money.

[drquack02]

What really strikes me as odd, and makes me a bit uneasy at how they are approaching these searches is that the guy really didn't have much stuff.

What was it, 1 mod chip....when I read these stories I was expecting something along the lines of mini factories with undreds of chips...not some guys house that has (1) chip in it...

Was he a distributor for profit, or an end user?

[bandit]

He was probably an installer who did services as well as sold. he probably handled all the jobs just in time for them to raid. Dont forget, they werent watching him for only 1 day. They were probably watching his business for a couple of months already to build more evidence. So throughout the whole ordeal, he probably had more and they were watching him.