Topic: Feds tight-lipped on chip raids

[Reno]

Federal customs officials were mum yesterday about raids conducted in 16 states including Massachusetts that targeted suspects allegedly involved in a video game software pirating scheme.
    Following a year-long investigation, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents searched 32 homes and businesses on Wednesday. They seized a ?significant? number of illegal chips and other devices that allow video game users to circumvent copyright protections on consoles such as Sony?s PlayStation and Microsoft?s Xbox and use pirated or counterfeit game software.
    The raided locations were associated with suspects allegedly involved in importing, installing, distributing and selling the devices, which were manufactured in Asia and Canada and smuggled into the United States through Hong Kong.
    The agency wouldn?t reveal specifics about the search warrants executed in Massachusetts - or who was targeted - as part of what it called the largest national enforcement action of its kind.
    ?We?re going to evaluate the evidence that we gathered . . . and then we?re going to move forward with the investigation,? spokesman Marc Raimondi said. The agency plans to present the evidence to the U.S. Attorney?s Office to seek indictments, he said.
    The modified chips and other devices violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. The Entertainment Software Association says the gaming industry has lost billions of dollars due to lost sales from counterfeit and pirated video games.

LINK

This is an interesting article that describes one of the main problems in today's society. The public pays tax money to hunt down game chip makers and providers. Is it just me or would that money be better spent on the failing educational system, the failing immigration system, or the failing infrastructures?

[mistybear]

You mean like repairing bridges.......

[Reno]

Maybe i'm thinking too large. Maybe the FBI could put that same investigation money into finding terrorists, or searching for missing people. These are their primary goals isn't it. The thing here is this is like busting people for making bootleg copies of dvds. This is busting people for adding capability to their hardware. I don't use consoles, but i can see where modifying a system would be something i would want to do.