Thursday, August 2nd 2007
U.S. Customs Raid Targets Videogame Piracy
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents searched more than 30 businesses and homes across 16 states looking for mod-chips and swap-discs which allow users to play pirated titles on popular gaming consoles. Officials say these devices are created with the intent of subverting copy protections and not only cost legitimate businesses billions of dollar but include other crimes such as smuggling, software piracy and money laundering. The names of those who are accused of violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 were not released.
Source:
pcworld
45 Comments on U.S. Customs Raid Targets Videogame Piracy
As for the immigration problem, well the US is the great melting pot, and liberals want to keep the illegals to be their bitch servants/ employees.....and the conservatives are to busy covering up there illegals with a silk sheet ....... its unfortunate
Same could be said about the music industry. Homeland security should do their job and protect the HOMELAND. They're protecting industry and not the citizens.
If the National Guard wasn't busy in Iraq, they would have been used. I wouldn't be surprised if the U.S. Parks rangers didn't show up. It's the money that gets protected, not the people. I have a flash for them: I mod everything that I own, from my cars and bikes to my guitars. I'm doing a case mod that I wish I'd never started, though - I seem to make it worse everything that I do. It might be time to punt.
$3 for FEAR can't be beat!
There was a shop in Moscow airport Sheremetyvo that sold HL2 for $10, moscow is extremely expensive, you can't buy a full meal for that much!
"...as agents looked for evidence of the importation, sale and distribution of the modification devices made overseas and smuggled into the country."
This gives you a little different idea :)
The American government spends upwards of four hundred billion dollars, to faciliatate illegal immigrants and non-citizens. It also spends upwards of two hundred million dollars on illegal immigrants and non-citzens who are in some stage of the correctional facility.
If piracy has become that bad, it's time we take matters into our own hands, and just start bitch smacking teenagers and young people at random. When they say 'what the hell was that for!?!?!?!' Simply reply "in case you pirate software and music, I just wanted to let you know, it's not ok!"
Slowly but surely....
Its the piracy portion thats illegal.
What we have here is typical "scare the consumer" selective reporting.
Man, I really hate that. It's spewed at me all week long at work.
1. Get real people. Criminals or terrorists will use any method to make money - INCLUDING SELLING MOD CHIPS, PIRATED GAMES, etc. Take a look. www.rand.org/pubs/rgs_dissertations/2005/RAND_RGSD185.pdf
2. I doubt they raided mom and pop in the suburbs. This sounds like they went after distributors and if you can rationalize having a 1000 mod chips, or whatever number, as just for your amusement, go ahead.
3. Buying a airline ticket online does not exempt you from an ID requirement. Heres a factoid all airlines are required to check your name against the TSA No Fly list. What do you think they do if they find a match? Even a US Senators wife is stopped.
www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8MNE7DG0&show_article=1
4. All cargo in international or interstate movement on aircraft can be searched.
5. ICE is part of DHS. Yes priority is terrorism but the agency name is Immigration AND Customs Enforcement. Guess that means if you break a Customs law (duh, importing illegal goods) that ICE will have to be the agency that comes after you since its there jurisdiction.
6. Regardless of what you or I think about mod chips and if they should be illegal they are and these men and women are just doing there job.
To sum it up, stop bitching and thinking that by cracking down on piracy they AREN'T protecting you from terrorists.
your gonna have lots of "fun" here.