Federal modchip raid spans 16 US states
The video game industry's war against enemy solders continues unabated, with 16 U.S. states recently becoming legal battlegrounds for federal customs agents working under the Immigration and Customs Enforcement group. According to the New York Times, more than 30 businesses and homes were raided in search of illegal modification chips and far more sinister sounding copyright circumvention devices. The groups and individuals targeted are suspected of importing, installing, distributing and smuggling devices which allow pirated games to be played on PlayStation 2, Wii and Xbox consoles.
The pirates asking where all the ROM has gone should cast their functional eyes toward Nintendo -- the company notes in a separate press release that it fully supports the sinking of illegal chips. "Nintendo and its developers and publishers lost an estimated $762 million in sales in 2006 due to piracy of its products," said Jodi Daugherty, senior director of anti-piracy at Nintendo of America. "Nintendo's anti-piracy team works closely with law enforcement officials worldwide to seize mod chips and counterfeit software. Since April, Nintendo has seized more than 91,000 counterfeit Wii discs globally."
Friendlier seas won't be found with Nintendo's competitors either. Last month, Sony promised to "aggressively pursue" PS3 pirates and in May, Microsoft gave modified systems the boot from its Xbox Live service.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in. Commence "eye patches are for night vision" commentary.]
