Modder jailed for modchip and piracy business

A modder unlucky – or foolish – enough to advertise his Xbox 360 piracy and modchip business in the popular classified advertisement website Craigslist had his home raided by the San Diego Computer and Technology Crime High-Tech Response Unit (CATCH).

Thousands of pirated game software were confiscated from Frederick Brown’s home in San Diego, as well as a considerable number of modchips. The modder was supposed to go about his piracy business scot-free, until the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) member company employees spotted his Craigslist advertisements. Said Ric Hirsch, Entertainment Software Association senior VP for intellectual property enforcement:

Some of our member companies had seen his listings on Craigslist. We started to make some inquiries on our own last year and eventually through our investigations accumulated enough evidence to bring it to the attention of the CATCH team.

Because of the wide scope of Brown’s piracy business, ESA opted to file criminal charges against the modder – 10 felonies, mind you – instead of merely suing him in court. Brown was freed when he posted bail amounting to US $100,000.

Installing modchips in consoles is a booming business among gamers, but not necessarily for game piracy. Modchips, for the most part, enhance gamer experience by adding content and homebrew applications in consoles, as well as bypassing region locks. However, it is deemed illegal by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) since modchips circumvent copyright infringement measures installed in consoles. Microsoft also disconnects consoles from Xbox Live once they detect that the consoles are “modded”.

A modder unlucky – or foolish – enough to advertise his Xbox 360 piracy and modchip business in the popular classified advertisement website Craigslist had his home raided by the San Diego Computer and Technology Crime High-Tech Response Unit (CATCH).

Thousands of pirated game software were confiscated from Frederick Brown’s home in San Diego, as well as a considerable number of modchips. The modder was supposed to go about his piracy business scot-free, until the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) member company employees spotted his Craigslist advertisements. Said Ric Hirsch, Entertainment Software Association senior VP for intellectual property enforcement:

Some of our member companies had seen his listings on Craigslist. We started to make some inquiries on our own last year and eventually through our investigations accumulated enough evidence to bring it to the attention of the CATCH team.

Because of the wide scope of Brown’s piracy business, ESA opted to file criminal charges against the modder – 10 felonies, mind you – instead of merely suing him in court. Brown was freed when he posted bail amounting to US $100,000.

Installing modchips in consoles is a booming business among gamers, but not necessarily for game piracy. Modchips, for the most part, enhance gamer experience by adding content and homebrew applications in consoles, as well as bypassing region locks. However, it is deemed illegal by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) since modchips circumvent copyright infringement measures installed in consoles. Microsoft also disconnects consoles from Xbox Live once they detect that the consoles are “modded”.