Idaho Home Targeted in Feds' Mod Chip Sweep

Idaho Home Targeted in Feds' Mod Chip Sweep

August 4, 2007

mod-k.jpgIf the photo is any indication, the game piracy business has not been especially lucrative for this Twin Falls, Idaho resident. The suspect, raided along with 31 others earlier this week, possessed but a single mod chip when the feds came calling.

A message posted on the Console Tech forums includes scans of what appear to be a federal agent's search warrant application as well as an inventory of items seized in Wednesday's sweep, which targeted game piracy suspects in 16 U.S. states. The inventory list includes:
 

6 Xboxes, an Xbox 360, an (unspecified) Nintendo console, 38 Nintendo games, a computer, a mod chip, various circuit boards, hard rives, discs, manuals, etc.


It would seem that the unnamed resident of the Idaho Falls home must have provided the scanned documents after receiving a copy from the agents who conducted the search. Not shown is the probable cause affidavit, which would have explained the government's basis for the search. That document apparently remains sealed by a federal court.



search.jpg

 Posted along with the scans was a somewhat cryptic description of the raid:
 

LGC's house was raided at 8 this moring by the FBI, they took everything from his computer and xbox's, to his super nintendo. They were apparently looking for mod chips, and burnt games. He is not in jail, but he now has no computer at his house.


 

I have spent most of the day, on and off of the phone with him. He has the worst luck ever.

 

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What's even scarrier is that for those that even as much as clean the consoles can be hit for it. I fix peoples Xboxes and PS2s just by cleaning their stuff and I could get hit for it in my own state? I'm glad I'll be leaving it soon.
@Cyberskull

Completely, utterly, and absolutely ditto on my end.
Next they will be doing this for DVD copies,once they fully remove fair use that is!
Nope, I pretty fucking pissed about it too.
Am I the only one concerned that the probable cause is sealed?
He's a "l33t h4x0r" alright, a single fracking mod chip? As stated on the previous thread, it's nice to see that ICE has nothing better to do than raid homes of people with mod chips but they won't deport illegal immigrants that have been arrested and convicted of crimes.
@CyberSkull

Nope, it's kind of worrying that the probable cause is sealed when the results of the search are so sparse.

Plus the poor guy will likely be getting his stuff back smashed if he gets it back at all.
Sooo, if I lived in America the small repair I made to my nephews Gamecube when the tab that holds the lid closed failed could be considered an illegal action because opening the console and owning a soldering iron could give me an opportunity to mod it?

Really?
@xzero87

What's really scary is that according to one report from Ohio, apparently a soldering iron was considered a big find. Apparently having the tools to tinker with, or repair electronics is now on it's way to being evidence of a desire to break copyright.
This is getting outta hand with all the crimes in the world they pick modded xboxes and playstations as their high priority, I have a feeling things will get worse from here on out.
xzero87
pretty much soon you will need a license to have scrap electronic parts for fear you might invent or circumvent and stir up the very authoritarian system of retail media and electronics...
This seriously scares me. I'm a tinkerer, and I take apart every broken electronic device that passes through my hands rather than clogging the landfills. It's not a big step from making ownership of a single device, to declaring that ownership of the components needed to build such a device are illegal. It's been done with so-called "drug paraphernalia" already, why not this?

What scares me even more is how the probable cause affidavit is sealed. I thought the very purpose of probable cause was to protect people against unreasonable search and seizure? Why shouldn't the person in question be notified of WHY is twas allegedly reasonable?
Probable cause? Umm, it's Idaho, the Feds really hate that State for some reason. Sometimes it seems like they'll spend a million dollars to send in a tactical entry team at the drop of a hat there.
kurisu7885
No the VC and sonys version of it have thos lovely legal contracts signed and dotted so that when you buy it its not illeagle,even the ahrdware emulation is not because the company that owns it has the right to emulate it.
why should the mod chips be illegal? you can mod the crap out of your car and no one gets arrested. according to the srticle he had no pirated games.
@bongo

The DMCA includes a line that makes it illegal to circumvent copy protection. Since most mod chips need to do this for one reason or another, they run afoul of that provision. In short it's illegal because the DMCA stomped all over fair use.
Great, does this mean I'm breaking laws by owning copies of games that are on Nintendo's Virtual Console? Could I wind yup going ot jail for owning over ten year old gaming equipment? Hell, my brother once spoke of mod chipping our Xbox so we could repair it, now we're not allowed to self repair our consoles because we COULD be attempting to mod it.

Fucking ridiculous.

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