Xbox Modder Convicted in the UK

[JimmieMac]

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/8644/Xbox-Modder-Convicted/

A 22-year-old Cambridge graduate has become the first ever individual in the UK to be convicted for the illegal modification of video games consoles at Caerphilly Magistrates Court.

The offender had developed a new method of modifying Microsoft Xbox consoles, discovered in October 2004 by ELSPA's Internet Investigator, who then informed Caerphilly County Borough Council Trading Standards and Gwent Constabulary. He sold the consoles, fitting them with a hard-drive of 200GB and 80 pre-installed games, via his website for £380. The retail cost of this package, if genuine and unmodified, would be an estimated £3,000 for each one. ELSPA gathered the forensic evidence against him which led to the court result.

Mike Rawlinson, deputy director general of ELSPA commented: "This case sets a major precedent which marks a milestone in the fight against piracy and in protecting the games industry's intellectual property. It sends a clear message to anyone tempted to become involved in 'chipping' consoles that this is a criminal offence and will be dealt with accordingly. The modification of consoles is an activity that ELSPA's anti-piracy team is prioritising – it is encouraging to see the UK courts do the same."

The penalty imposed yesterday, comprising a 140-hour community service order to be carried out in the next 12 months, £750 costs and forfeiture of all equipment seized including three tower PCs, two printers, three Xbox consoles and 38 hard-drives, reflected the youth of the individual and the fact that this was his first offence.

The modification of consoles has been an illegal practice since October 2003. After intense lobbying by ELSPA, the Patent office laid the Statutory Instrument for the introduction of the Copyright Directive. This Act made the whole process of chipping consoles illegal, including selling and advertising chips as well as providing a service for chipping.

The chipping process leaves the consumer with no recourse under any guarantee from the manufacturer and can damage the console.

[smalien1]

sucky. Why did they take his printer?

[Quackzilla]

He committed a pretty serious crime, he didn't just mod the consoles he sold them with 80 pirated games preinstalled.

People like that give modchips a bad name, I hope he gets prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

[Kayden]

So... I can mod for imports because of this douche? :evil:

[Apossum]

80 pre-installed games,

:lol:
what a fucking dumbass! he got soooooooooo greedy.

[Kastides]

Damn to think that i pay hard cash for my games... :(


Hope that the guy doesnt get gang raped in jail.

[dratsacras]

There are 80 games worth pirating on Xbox?

/flame on

[the3rdkey]

There are 80 games worth pirating on Xbox?

/flame on

Turn the flames off. We all know the answer.

[dratsacras]

Turn the flames off. We all know the answer.

You're right; that was mean of me.

Still, I'd love to see a list. I can't imagine which games got put in there.

[Kastides]

Sorry Xbox doesnt make the same 60 or so anime inspired RPGs.

I really dislike Jap games. They have lost their creativity.

[doraemonkerpal]

Sorry Xbox doesnt make the same 60 or so anime inspired RPGs.

I really dislike Jap games. They have lost their creativity.

katamari damacy wasn't creative enough for you? :lol:

or the upcoming lawyer or doctor games (i don't remember their names)?

[guessed]

You're right; that was mean of me.

Still, I'd love to see a list. I can't imagine which games got put in there.

Well, just out of curiousity, I checked IGN, and there are 85 games that they gave a 9.0 or above (although, that does count Halo 2, Halo 2 CE, and Halo 2 Map Pack as 3 separate games). I realize that is only one source, and I disagree with them on some of the games, but there is no shortage of good Xbox games, believe it or don't. There are plenty of games in the 8.something and 7.something range that are worth playing as well. I don't know what games were actually on the pirate box.


Jade Empire 9.9
Halo 2 9.8
Halo 2: Limited Collector's Edition 9.8
Halo: Combat Evolved 9.7
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time 9.6
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 9.6
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory 9.6
Burnout 3: Takedown 9.5
Forza Motorsport 9.5
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 9.5
Madden NFL 2005 9.5
Project Gotham Racing 2 9.5
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow 9.5
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 9.5
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 9.5
Dead or Alive 3 9.4
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind 9.4
ESPN NFL 2K5 9.4
Grand Theft Auto Double Pack 9.4
Madden NFL 2004 9.4
NBA Street V3 9.4
NBA Street Vol. 2 9.4
Ninja Gaiden 9.4
SSX 3 9.4
Winning Eleven 8 9.4
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 9.3
Deathrow 9.3
DOOM 3 9.3
ESPN NFL Football 9.3
ESPN NHL Hockey 9.3
Fable 9.3
MX vs. ATV Unleashed 9.3
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 9.3
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow 9.3
Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War 9.3
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords 9.3
Top Spin 9.3
Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict 9.3
Dead or Alive Ultimate 9.2
Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball 9.2
ESPN NBA Basketball 9.2
ESPN NHL 2K5 9.2
Full Spectrum Warrior 9.2
MechAssault 9.2
Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition 9.2
MVP Baseball 2005 9.2
NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup 9.2
NFL Street 9.2
Panzer Dragoon Orta 9.2
RalliSport Challenge 9.2
RalliSport Challenge 2 9.2
Soulcalibur II 9.2
Tony Hawk's Underground 9.2
Unreal Championship 9.2
Aggressive Inline 9.1
Colin McRae Rally 2005 9.1
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge 9.1
Jet Set Radio Future 9.1
Mercenaries 9.1
Need for Speed Underground 2 9.1
NFL 2K3 9.1
TimeSplitters 2 9.1
World Series Baseball 2K3 9.1
WWE Raw 2 9.1
WWF Raw 9.1
Amped 2 9.0
Beyond Good & Evil 9.0
Deus Ex: Invisible War 9.0
EA Sports Fight Night Round 2 9.0
GUNVALKYRIE 9.0
Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack 9.0
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne 9.0
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance 9.0
MVP Baseball 2004 9.0
NCAA Football 2004 9.0
NHL 2002 9.0
Spider-Man 2 9.0
SSX Tricky 9.0
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 9.0
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 9.0
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect 9.0
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 9.0
True Crime: Streets of L.A. 9.0
World Series Baseball 9.0
Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions 9.0

[Kayden]

Taking out sports games cuts that list into less than half.

[Kayden]

Sorry Xbox doesnt make the same 60 or so anime inspired RPGs.

I really dislike Jap games. They have lost their creativity.

Yea... they make RPGs like Metal Dungeon... :wall:

[Apossum]

:lol: this thread turned into Xbox fan vs. J-Rpgs.

As a proud Xbox owner myself, I can say that there aren't 80 games I'd want to own for the system. Not a sports game fan. but the system is worth it for the ones that I do like.

then again, I don't need 80 games for any system(though I have them, in rom form, but they just collect electro-dust)

Yea... they make RPGs like Metal Dungeon...

no kidding. i was just looking at the box to this game the other day and wondering if it gets any more generic....

[FriskyTanuki]

He committed a pretty serious crime, he didn't just mod the consoles he sold them with 80 pirated games preinstalled.

People like that give modchips a bad name, I hope he gets prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
If you read the article, he got 140 hours of community service and a fine.

The modding law in the UK seems to cover any and all kinds of modding for whatever purpose, to play foreign game, illegal games, or even simple modchips, so this guy made a rather dumb mistake for putting 200 gb hd's in them and selling them with 80 games on them.

[zewone]

Taking out sports games cuts that list into less than half.
So? :roll:
What if you cut action and RPG games out of PS2's library? That would be almost all of their top games worth playing.

[guessed]

Taking out sports games cuts that list into less than half.

Many people enjoy sports games. I'd guess that quite a few of the included games were sports games.

[urzishra14]

well you know.. J-RPGs have their place and i guess 14 year old kids can't get enough of big eyed "different" heroes going on the same quest to save not a girl, but the entire world from some evil that has no real motive behind their actions.. blah..

but yeah.. modders haev their place but piracy is just silly.

[Cornfedwb]

He committed a pretty serious crime, he didn't just mod the consoles he sold them with 80 pirated games preinstalled.

People like that give modchips a bad name, I hope he gets prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Yes.. because the huge majority of people use modchips for reasons other than piracy :roll:

You douche.

[urzishra14]

Yes.. because the huge majority of people use modchips for reasons other than piracy :roll:

You douche.

yes.. the majority use it for the shaddy reason so what.. ? maybe if companies allowed all the products to be played everywhere there wouldn't be a need to punish the "good" users of modchips only the pirates.. but then again.. JRPGs suck.

[Apossum]

Yes.. because the huge majority of people use modchips for reasons other than piracy :roll:

You douche.


yeah, he is a douche.....but there are good modders and bad modders. I don't think I've met a modder that installs games. the ones who do charge more for it-- which is completely wrong. modding and selling is one thing-- selling something you didn't pay for in the first place is another.

[Kayden]

Many people enjoy sports games. I'd guess that quite a few of the included games were sports games.

I was thinking more along the lines that sports games are pretty much the same across the board. You could have 10 football games and say they all got 9.0+, but really, its the same game just a different roster.

[Spruce]

fitting them with a hard-drive of 200GB and 80 pre-installed game

Eighty Xbox games (especially the ones listed in guessed's list) would be a lil' tough to squeeze onto a 200GB hard drive. However, if you take into account how easy it is to get emulators and roms onto the Xbox the issue doesn't become "Name 80 Xbox games worth having," but rather: "Why buy a PSP when the Xbox is $100 cheaper?"

[Kayden]

Eighty Xbox games (especially the ones listed in guessed's list) would be a lil' tough to squeeze onto a 200GB hard drive. However, if you take into account how easy it is to get emulators and roms onto the Xbox the issue doesn't become "Name 80 Xbox games worth having," but rather: "Why buy a PSP when the Xbox is $100 cheaper?"


Damn boy, how big are your pockets? :lol:

[eldad9]

So? in the states it's illegal to use a modchip to play imports.

[Spruce]

Damn boy, how big are your pockets? :lol:

Not very. I'm just cheap is all. CAG is the sole reason this list (http://users.ign.com/collection/CrowSpruce) is as long as it is. Before finding this place it was hovering somewhere around 300.

Hmm...should probably update the "Now Playing" list...

EDIT: Nevermind...I guess you meant to lug around the 50 pound Xbox v. the PSP...only time I need a portable game to actually be portable is at the movie theater waiting for the film to start. I've got a GBASP and Wario Ware...that's more than enough for the 15 minutes or so the opening ads take to finish.

[Kayden]

I hope my joke didn't hit anyone after it flew over your head. :lol:
Not very. I'm just cheap is all. CAG is the sole reason this list (http://users.ign.com/collection/CrowSpruce) is as long as it is. Before finding this place it was hovering somewhere around 300.

Hmm...should probably update the "Now Playing" list...

EDIT: Nevermind...I guess you meant to lug around the 50 pound Xbox v. the PSP...only time I need a portable game to actually be portable is at the movie theater waiting for the film to start. I've got a GBASP and Wario Ware...that's more than enough for the 15 minutes or so the opening ads take to finish.

[sblymnlcrymnl]

Taking out sports games cuts that list into less than half.

And taking out all the games that don't deserve to be rated 9+ drops it to about a quarter of the original size. :lol: