Dummy Xbox Live accounts blocked, not banned
Microsoft has begun blocking non-U.S. residents' access to exclusive downloadable content. Xbox Live users in Europe and elsewhere have long taken advantage of a well-known workaround, registering North American "dummy" accounts in order to access downloadable content exclusive to that region -- in some cases, North American users have done the opposite. Not anymore.
With the launch of a downloadable TV and movie service in the US, Microsoft is suddenly interested in controlling the destinations of the content it provides. The solution is simple: block access of region-protected content from any IP address that does not correspond with the country/region that the user's Xbox Live account is associated with. We are still awaiting an official statement regarding this new policy, but Microsoft's Chris Paladino has apparently confirmed, "I do know for a fact that we are not banning the accounts."
