This is just ridiculous. Doesn’t the federal government have better things to do than track down college kids who mod their game consoles? Seriously.
Matt Crippen, a 27-year-old CSU-Fullerton student has been indicted on two counts of violating the Digital Millenium Copyright Act. He faces up to 10 years in prison for modding his (and probably others) Xbox, PlayStation and Wii to play pirated games after a raid on his home in May by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. He was released tonight after posting a $5000 bond. His next court date is August 10.
This is such bullshit.
*That may or may not be Crippen, but that’s what popped up on Facebook.
via AP
And the reason for you having such sympathy for someone breaks the law is …?
Because laws are set in stone, right?
How do they know he’s using the mods to play PIRATED games? Maybe he’s converted his discs into data formats so he doesn’t need to use discs anymore? Plenty of people do that.
Here is where the real bullshit starts though. 10 years prison sentence. Yea. Fucking. Right. I’ve seen murderers get less time than that. No really, I have. There were these two guys who bashed in another guys head killing him and all they got was 2 years in prison.
The less of the crime, the more you’ll pay the time.
There was a time when selling a VCR was also a crime because, before Sony vs Universal, it was thought that VCR’s sold to homes could only be used to commit copyright crimes like copying TV shows and movies from off the air.
Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Corp._of_America_v._Universal_City_Studios,_Inc.
And the reason for you having such sympathy for someone breaking the law is …? [sorry typing-error]
1) You’re an idiot;
2) That was HIS console. He paid for it. This is the same as jailbreaking an iPhone.
1. You’re a ass;
2. Apparently, a federal grand jury thinks there is enough cause for this case to go forward;
3. STFU. Break the law, go to jail, pay a fine. Quit bitchin’ that life is unfair.
This was something he owned. Once you own something you should be able to do whatever the hell you want with it. Should somebody get arrested for putting a new graphics card in their gaming rig? That would after all prevent dell or asus or whoever from selling them a new computer, so its like cheating the computer manufacturers. That makes just about as much sense as arresting that guy.
No ,you’re the ass, Just about anything that goes before the grand jury gets passed. Every fxxxxn person released from prison because of current DNA testing was a victim of a grand jury! What the Fxxk is with that smart ass?
“Once you own something you should be able to do whatever the hell you want with it” is a fallacy. You don’t actually “own” it. You merely license it. Following your logic it would be alright to buy a DVD of a movie, host a movie night in my city and charge people to watch it. You don’t own the DVD movie, you only license it for private viewing.
So mike, when a kid decides to get artistic and puts together a DJ mix, should he then get his shit raided and put into prison for UP TO 10 YEARS? If I don’t own those CDs I buy or own the electronics I buy then does that give the “owners” the right to violate my rights and privacy and put me into prison to protect their profits?
So this computer I am typing on isn’t mine, nor is the software I am using? Does that mean HP and Microsoft have the right to spy on their computer? Since when did the companies have more rights than the consumer?
Mike, we’re talking about consoles, not games. Console hardware is physical property–once you buy it, you own it, and you are free to do whatever you want with it (other than bypass copyright protection measures, thanks to the DMCA). You’re thinking of intellectual property such as software, music, movies, etc., which you only buy and own a “license” to.
Or it is the same like pimping my car with sirenes and make it look like a police car
Or it is the same like using skype on my iPhone
Or it is the same like drinking my alcohol whereever the f… I want
Or it is the same like smoking my cigarette whereever I want to
Or it is not the same like any other comparison because it is, what it is.
Absolutely right that I am stupid. I never would dare to consider myself wise
wow, this is just plain stupid. He bought the damn consoles, he could do whatever he effing pleases. This is just ridiculous and getting out of hand. http://ziggytek.com/
So you better be careful the next time you decide to modify your car, they just may raid your garage.
“*That may or may not be Crippen, but that’s what popped up on Facebook. ”
What the **** kinda’ journalism is that?
Ha, if I was that Crippen and not the Crippen modding consoles I’d own your ass so tight you’d have to pay me every time you wanted to fart.
You’re really getting worked up over a picture?
he’s just mad because his user name is ‘PX4 Storm’. I too think it is bullshit especially because of the penalty he is potentially faced with.
Sounds to me like he was arrested for providing a service of modded consoles and/or selling pirated games. I really doubt the police would waste the resources on someone modding their own console.
He could have also been raided for download a _lot_ of games.
Then again, the bond was only $5,000. Something about this story really just doesn’t add up.
“and probably others” – that may of been something that CG put in, but I doubt they have a way of knowing for sure so its irrelevant.
Well, depending on which country, but here in the US you can’t get raided for downloading a lot of anything. Because its illegal for anyone to look at what you’re downloading. All ISP’s can do is see that you are having heavy usage. I’m not sure of the FEDs have a different policy though. ?
The bond probably had something to do with the “Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency” bit. Just a hunch.
I very much agree. Making modifications to your own property, as long as it doesn’t cause harm to others or by inaction become harmful, is not illegal. However, as Joseph mentioned, his arrest is most likely from him modding consoles for a profit, and from this allowing others to be able to use pirated games on said consoles. Ten years is a bit much, but that’s just the maximum sentence. Here’s hoping that the punishment and possible time serves are much less.
You’re allowed tape tape a movie in your home with a VCR, but ya can’t record music through your computer nor change any adjustments on a video console that you paid for. Are we still in America?
In the 60 people dropped Acid to make the world look strange! Now folks take Prozac to make the world look Normal! Need I say more?
I agree with Joshua. Certainly modding your own xbox should not be a punsihable offense, but I get the feeling this guy was up to much more than that. If you’re charging $ to mod consoles for others and then you turn around and sell them illegally copied games, then yes I would consider that a crime.
Then perhaps the charge shouldn’t be for modding consoles as a service? I would suggest that the crime, in that case, is the actual copyright infringement.. not some perceived notion of an infringement through a completely irrelevant charge of modifying hardware.
He’s actually accused of modifying, for personal financial gain, technology affecting control or access to a copyrighted work, which is illegal under US law. And 10 years is the maximum, not necessarily what he’ll get.
So this is why congressional leaders have hamstrung I.C.E. from going after illegal immigrants – they needed the manpower to protect the profits of game console manufacturers…
If all he was doing was modding his own consoles, there’s nothing they could do legally that would land him in jail.
As they said, he was modding them to run pirated games and you can bet he was selling them. That’s where he went over the line, if (AND NOTE, THIS IS A BIG IF) that is the case. If not, then there’s no way they would have busted him like this.
MGM Studios, Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd.
“In the opinion, Justice Souter stated that “[t]he rule on inducement of infringement as developed in the early cases is no different today. [A]dvertising an infringing use or instructing how to engage in an infringing use, show an affirmative intent that the product be used to infringe, and a showing that infringement was encouraged overcomes the law’s reluctance to find liability when a defendant merely sells a commercial product suitable for some lawful use…”
ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Corp._of_America_v._Universal_City_Studios,_Inc.#Subsequent_developments
Grokster outright advertised their services as a way to infringe copyright. If this kid was modding consoles and having NOTHING to do with actual copyright infringement, it would seem that it SHOULDN’T be illegal. The DMCA made a mess of copyright laws, though.. so, who knows.
They raided his house for copyright violation? This is just another example of how businesses have way too much influence with law enforcement.
Perhaps TechCrunch should start a fundraiser to help this guy with Lawyer fees.
Hahahahahahaha! Police in Brazil would never do that, the only thing they do is to destroy the illegal games. In an year they arrest about 10 people for copyright violation(talking about pirated games, not music) lol
Why the Customs enforcement is involved is really the interesting part. I’d have to say that it has something to do with the Region encoding being broken with almost every chipmod done to an Xbox or PS2. Changing that fundamental protection to watch/play imports violates the letter of the DMCA. If he was retarded enough to sell pirated games, he’d better get a hell of a lawyer and cut a good deal.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement just happens to be the agency that investigates intellectual property rights violations. The charges are for breaking the copy protection, not the region controls. There were also no charges of selling pirated games.
They will come for me next since I run WinMo 6.5 on my phone. I customized it and hacked it.
He was probably selling loaded consoles full of pirates games. All in all, this punishment seems light compared to what the RIAA wants from people for music piracy.
So then it’s illegal to modify equipment you buy at a store? Why, then, don’t they call it renting or leasing instead of buying if we can’t do what we want to it.
WHAT WILL YOU DO WITHOUT FREEDOM?
WILL YOU FIGHT?
“no we will run, and live!”
“AYE…YOU MIGHT LIVE…ATLEAST A WHILE
….BUT DYING IN YOUR BEDS MANY YEARS FROM NOW…….
WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO TRADE ALL THE DAYS FROM THIS DAY TO THAT TO COME BACK HERE AND TELL OUR ENEMIES……
THEY CAN THROW US IN JAIL FOR MODDING OUR CONSOLES…..BUT THEY WILL NEVER
TAKE
OUR
FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I chose “no we will run, and live!” and shout cowardly to our enemies “You will not take away our freedom!!!”
I love whining so i can irradiate people to do things.
WTF once he bought the damn console-its his
its like putting a new grpahics card in your computer, you dont get arrested for that…
this makes no fucking sense
He modded the consoles for others for money, and had advertised the services on the internet. NO, he did not sell pirated games, but under the DMCA (one of the worst laws ever passed) it is illegal to modify anything to bypass copyright protection measures, and especially if you do it for money. So, even if you are doing it only to play burned backups of legally purchased games/movies (or so others can do so with their backups), or any other legitimate reason, it is illegal.