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Federal Agents Raid Homes for Modchips

Posted by samzenpus on from the throw-away-the-key dept.

Lunatrik writes "Invoking the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, Federal Custom's Agents have raided over 30 homes and businesses looking to confiscate so-called 'mod chips', or other devices that allow the playback of pirated video games. This raises an important question: Are legitimate backup copies of a piece of software you own illegal under the DMCA?"

3 of 537 comments (clear)

  1. We've been over this by Rogerborg · · Score: 4, Informative

    The DMCA doesn't prohibit having a backup, just creating, obtaining or distributing the tools to make or to use one. That's the risible position that the DMCA puts us in.

    --
    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
  2. Re:No Clue by ICLKennyG · · Score: 3, Informative

    Troll much?

    The DMCA goes hand in hand with Fair Use principles which have time and again been upheld by the US Supreme Court. It criminalizes tools necessary to implement freedoms upheld by previous USSC decisions. The law goes so far as to not only make telling anyone that a Sharpie can beat Sony's copy protection, but make the magic marker its self illegal. It makes the ability to gain a backup copy illegal, and thus in the great 4th grade tradition: 'You have no clue!'

  3. Re:Bogus question. by MobyDisk · · Score: 3, Informative

    You do not have to sign a contract to buy a Nintendo DS.