Feds Seize another Site
 

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...pyright_piracy

Feds Seize Web Site Selling Mod Chips

WASHINGTON - The government has seized a Web site that helped people bypass anti-piracy technology to play illegal copies of popular video games.

The site, iSONEWS.com, was seized as part of a plea agreement by David M. Rocci, 22, of Blacksburg, Va. In December 2002, Rocci pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to conspiring to import, market and sell devices known as modification chips.

The chips are designed to get around copyright protections built into game consoles such as the Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation 2. Once installed, the chips allow the user to play pirated games on the consoles.


The government assumed control of Rocci's domain name and Web site this week and posted information on the site about Rocci's case as well as information about illegal copyright activity.


The Web site had been used to market mod chips and offered listings of available pirated games. It had over 100,000 registered users and claimed to receive over 140,000 hits each day.


Some Internet groups were concerned about the free speech implications of the government seizing Web sites and domain names.


"It's a far-reaching and radical approach in light of previous Supreme Court decisions that emphasized the importance of the First Amendment on the Internet," said David Sobel, general counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington. "Unfortunately it appears to be a new law enforcement tactic."


"It adds insult to injury for the government to replace the existing content on a Web site with new government-approved content," he said. "This could be equivalent to the death penalty in the context of free speech on the Internet."


Marc Zwillinger, an anti-piracy attorney, said private companies have seized control of public Web sites in civil cases.


His group has taken over more than 50 satellite piracy Web sites for DirecTV over the last two years and made them into anti-piracy Web sites.

In the government's case, Zwillinger said: "It's an effective tactic because people looking at the illegal site all of a sudden see a government site. They get the message quickly and they worry about whether they are on some customer records."

fucking pieces of shit. i'm really starting to get insulted by all this shit the government is pulling. but could this be the darkness before the dawn? or the begining of the downward spiral?:feels-hot

um well in this case the person IS a crook...start complaining about the government attacking the innocent,not the obvious guilty... so I'd go with the darkness before dawn :glugglug

This administration is getting ready to do things that will make you believe you are living in the old soviet union.

In not saying that shitting down the above site was a bad thing but im saying watch thier upcoming approach.

Move to canada, our governent hasn't figured out how to turn on computers yet.

You're joking, right? Shoot me if I'm wrong, but it looks like a major copyright offender got busted.

Are you so broke you can't buy your own games?

http://66.201.243.170/forums/showthr...hreadid=100853

the site is still up. the government just took the domain name.
you can still reach the site through their ip address

spammers are next :ak47: :ak47:

The obvious guilty. Cute. Now why do we bother to have a legal system at all when you're right here to pass judgement? I guess we can do away with jurys and judges, now, because you've got it covered.

ISONEWS was a cool site. All the did was list releases and NFO files. They even took the time to edit serials out of the NFO files and didn't have cracks or anything of the sort available for download. They were a pure textual information site.

Make that "IS" a cool site as it seems to still be up.

SpaceAce

wow :ak47::glugglug :helpme

Spammers are long overdue.

since when is selling mod chips illegal?
and what is illegal about backing up your own games? or modding a console to play imported games? or in the ps2/xbox case specifically, mod them so u can install hdd's and shit?

GAY GAY GAY FUCK YOU USA.

another reason to hate the usa.
c-unts.

What did the government post on his domain ? I went to www.isonews.com and didn't see anything from the feds posted.

EXACTLY

Looks like somehow they where able to point to another server (got it off their off topic chat board)

either way.. bout time they get rid of all those gamers and stoners.

Now that you mention it, I think that some of that "regional" copy protection violates import laws.

Of course, you're obviously still a gigantic moron incapable of individual thought with your ignorant USA hate rhetoric.

SpaceAce

SHHHH!
everyone go here.


http://66.201.243.170/ :winkwink:



Feds.... SUCK MY FAT DICK!





Your ISP has it cached. The feds still have the domain.

I agree 100%. How is this any different from cable descramblers? Aren't they legal to sell but illegal to use? And who the fuck is to say what the end user got it for. This shit is getting scary. And still so many people want to praise this shit like it is a good thing. Makes me cringe.

Also it says he plead guilty. Would he have won if he fought this? I would hope so. By pleading guilty the goverment has a new scare tactic to use on other sites. Very scary shit man.

I'm not passing judgement,didn't even bother to like at the sites activity.I was just commenting on that other guys post that if you're pirating software,you're a crook and need to be dealt with...

and for the guy who said whats wrong with backing up your system,come on dude we both know why those mod chips are sold and used for

I don't want to be too much of a hypocrite because I know som,ebody is going to say "well you download MP3's you crook!" lol

The only point I was stressing is if your caught pirating shit,you deserve to be dealt with...

well give back all the fucking money you've made off amercans you dumbass.

Ok, what exactly the fuck are you talking about?

Well this is posted on the website (http://www.isonews.com/)

"The domain and web site were surrendered to U.S. law enforcement pursuant to a federal prosecution and felony plea agreement for conspiracy to violate criminal copyright laws."

To me it seems that part of the guilty plea was to give up the domain name?

P.S. There are just some places "the fuck" doesnt fit.

yes, everyone seems to me missing the fact that this was a plea agreement

fuck the system

'i cant believe in all your pain.'

'under the draining of a
christian
deities blood'

Yea... it probably went somthing like...

"I will take the knife out of your neck if you give us your website."

'you tell your children they're insane'

Hasn't your sad, irrelevant little country banned porn all together? Shut up and get back to killing the aboriginies.

Uhm, we own the hardware, we OWN the xbox. How can selling pieces of hardware for hardware we own be illegal? THAT is what's bullshit. Thank god it's legal in australia =)

You obviosuly never used isonews or are merely retarded.

I'm sure the site owner would not have just entered a guilty plea if he did not feel he was guilty... come on guys....

eh you're right about the mod chips for the stolen games. but i'm tying this all in them shutting down people selling anything that can be construed as an impliment to consume illegal drugs. and the whole homeland security act. it really puts me off when they start taking sites down and redirecting things to Government OK content. if you're gonna close it close it. no need to use it as a public stage to humiliate the person commiting the crime maybe is what i'm getting at? at any rate i'm stoned and rambling... i'm gonna go do something useful :winkwink:

I didn't even read that part. I was quoting everything above that part. Now it's funny. :1orglaugh

Go fucking figure.

Are you going to have the same opinion if you get busted for pushing porn the government considers illegal? The way the federal law on it is written any actual sex is illegal porn.

Feds are getting bizzay.. they've gone after drug paraphernalia and mod chips, what could be next ? I'm not sure it'll be porn related, as they've gone after child porn already.

Unfortunately the Feds might keep tabs on a site for months or years before they bust anyone. They make sure they are taking a sizable members list and have all kinds of info to prosecute with.

This guy (SlyRJ) is funny, I think he drinks too much. J/K

I can't buy content and resell it unless I have the rights to do so correct? why should video games be any different? those chips allow you to play pirated software,same difference

i'm not against it,fuck it if you can get away with it go for it,but when your ass gets caught don't blame the fuckin government for doing something right for once...

If you're caught pirating, it's a crime. To my knowledge, though, ISONEWS has never actually distributed any software at all. Also, punishment should fit the crime. Piracy laws are INSANE. They were clearly written by the producers of the material and not in the interest of the public.

SpaceAce

like all laws the ones who got the cash and contribute the most get things done their way

That's not true. How deep do your pockets have to be to fight the government? Many people just give in when they know they can't win.

SpaceAce

You got that right!

They need to get rid of pornographers too! Just ask the Rush Limbaugh crowd here on GFY. These geniuses will be chanting pro-Bush propaganda as they are hauled off to jail. Wait, I voted for Bush, wait, I love A*s*h*c*r*o*f*t, I hate the constitution too, wait, I'll vote for Bush again if you let me,....

Let's hope Bush can save America from sinners and stoners!

Those chips also let you play backup copies of your own games. Not saying thats what most if any people use them for but that's not something the government should be able to decide. The more the government roots around in shit the more problems there will be for everyone.

And I pose the same question to you that I did to Sly. Are you pushing illegal porn right now?

if this is only over having banners for 'mod-chips', then it is pretty fucked up... there are some pretty legitimate uses for mod-chips (running Linux on the xBox, etc.), and i don't see how they can really be considered anywhere near as criminal as say, equipment who's sole purpose is to pirate satellite tv and such... this does not bode well for any of us really..

maybe he can get tried under terrorism laws.. economic terrorist perhaps!

well just like the mod chip selling guys,nothing I do is illegal until they say it is...is that right? no not really but thats the way this "democracy" is headed... I guess to catch a few crooks you have to accuse some innocent victims,I can live with that..for now :glugglug