New Aussie law says "yes" to mod chips, "no" to region locked games |
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This is a story that dates back to 2003. That year Sony sued Eddy Stevens for selling PS2 units with mod chips that allowed the console to override the built-in protection to run legally bought imported games and to
back up games legitimately. Of course, the mod chips made it possible for the console to run pirated materials.
Sony won. The appeals court down under ruled it was illegal to sell mod-chips to Australians - but it is still legal for Australians to own mod-chips. However, the victory was short-lived.
In 2005, the high court decided against Sony. The court criticized Sony for restricting the rights of consumers and restricting global market competition. "There is no copyright reason why the purchaser should not be entitled to copy the CD-ROM and modify the console in such a way as to enjoy his or her lawfully acquired property without inhibition."
Now the lawmakers are making it final. A new law expected to come out this week will make it legal for consumers to use mod-chips that bypass built-in anti-piracy technology to allow the use of DVDs and games titles purchased legally in other regions. However, the new law does not condone piracy. In fact, it outlaws chips built for the sole purpose of overcoming anti-piracy technology.
What does this mean for Sony, MS and Nintendo? In Australia, these companies must design a new technology that stops consumers from using illegal game titles without enforcing its region locked features. But for video gamers in Oz, the new law means cheaper games than the rest of the world. Now that's a great reason to light up the fireworks.
Via Australian IT
24 Jumps Sega's Mega Sale on PSN
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Comments
for the aussies
It's about time!
1st post *****es, flame me, flame me!!!!!!!
"There is no copyright reason why the purchaser should not be entitled to copy the CD-ROM and modify the console in such a way as to enjoy his or her lawfully acquired property without inhibition." If this is enforced, and becomes law, sony need to allow homebrew and firmware modifications on the psp.
You're not first post.
"There is no copyright reason why the purchaser should not be entitled to copy the CD-ROM and modify the console in such a way as to enjoy his or her lawfully acquired property without inhibition." If this is enforced, and becomes law, sony need to allow homebrew and firmware modifications on the psp.
well at least the PSP is region free
Will this be a new Zealand law to?
That's pretty sweet. Now if only the supreme court was that smart.
last time I checked, new zealand and australia were different countries and have different laws, even if bums from nz can go over to aus and go straight on welfare without being an aus citizen :P
I'll be moving to Australia for studies in February. That will give Nintendo a few months to design my brand new region free Wii console ;)
Completly off topic here but this is intresting, this is the amount of consoles surposedly sold in 24 hours. It is 8:30pm here when i calculated this: Xbox360: 8,066,083 Playstation 3: 384,670 Nintendo Wii: 1,206,713 After A Minute Xbox360: 8,066,120 Playstation 3: 384,675 Nintendo Wii: 1,206,727 Each Company Sells The Following Amount Of Consoles In A Minute: Xbox 360: 37 Playstation 3: 5 Nintendo Wii: 14 So by tommorow At 8:30pm this many consoles will have been sold: Xbox360: 53280 Playstation 3: 7200 Nintendo Wii: 20160 This brings this total number of consoles sold at roughly 8:30pm tommorrow at: Xbox 360: 8119400 Playstation 3: 391875 Nintendo Wii: 1226887 These Figures are based on the website http://nexgenwars.com/ These figures do not quite match the figures that have been released from many companies. If anything these results seems biased towards to xbox360 in my personal opinion. As I highly doubt with the release of both the Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii that Microsft will be selling 37 console a minute and 53280 consoles every 24 hours whereas Nintendo only sells 14 consoles a minute and 20160 every 24 hours.
What does this have to do with the article?
ill be importing my games from there now lol
As an Aussie, the last few years have been great. I have modded every console I own. It is probably our finest piece of legislation. Unfortunately, Australia signed a "Free Trade Agreement" with the US, and apart of this agreement was that AU had to agree with many terms the US made. Here is the detail that affects the above; http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/4970.cfm Now as an Aussie, I have no idea which one is correct. Last I heard was the link I have mentioned above where US-AU FTA outlawed modchips. But to hear that they are legal again is great news. BTW - I contacted SONY AU in October 05, stating as per Australian law I should be able to freely discuss and "do whatever I want" with my hardware. In less than 5mins my Post was removed and my account banned, with an email stating; "Please note though, that this is still the official PlayStation Boards and despite recent court rulings and so forth, we are very wary on the close connection Mod Chips has with piracy and we will continue to remove posts along these lines if we feel as though the topic will proceed down that path. -- oggob" So sony, dispite the ruling will still try to ***** you in the ass. Hack hard ppl!
Now if we could only get the Communists, err... Nazis, err... Republicans that run this country to do the same... LOL Too bad that's not going to happen. At least not until the newer generations start running this country. Maybe then we'll have some people in government that are open-minded enough to pull their heads out of their asses and make things happen "for the people".
Sony doesn't have to let you post ***** on their forums idiot.
They said it is legal to buy and own modchips. They never said that consoles must come premodded. Also, it's the choice of the user whether or not to upgrade, so if they buy a 1.5 PSP, then they can legally run whatever they want. newer firmware preinstalled on the PSP that restricts homebrew is also legal because Sony has the right to put whatever software they want onto the PSP, even if it disables the user from running third party applications. Basically, Australia now has the same legal status on modchips as the USA. That's why this article states that it is an AUSSIE law. This is not that big a deal unless you live in Australia. Think about what you are posting next time, I hate n00bs, and it takes quite the n00b to confuse Sony's software limitations with officail copyright law...
Oi Oi Oi!
O_o Does anyone else think that the fireworks from that pic make a funky formation?
the us government is paid for by sony/microsoft so no law like that in the us
Im Glad To Be Austrailian!!!! In Your Face People!!!! now i can get a profesinal to install my modchip for my second psp without worrying about "legal issues" like the last person i asked :( YAY
Wow! now that's a lack of flaming!
Now that's where your wrong!!
You mean *cough*choke*(back)snosam(wards)*choke*cough*?
makes me proud to be australian so my ***** everyone else hahaha
Maybe he is right.... There isnt much difference in buying international games and running homebrew.... I had the same opinion from the article... Australia needs to have a homebrew enabled firmware... "Quote of the original" There for we must have the right as an Aussie to be able to play homebrew on our psp's...If we wont to copy our games for the odd occasion that it might get "scratched" (As if...) We must have the ability for a iso loader.... Sony might not provide it but what they must provide is the ease of ability to use one....I think it might be a bit hard to copy a UMD without a Blank UMD and a UMD writer...
New Zealand has thier own government and hence own constitution...
SUCK BALLS AMERICA!
Because if it is, I have a new group to hate. LOL
You're right! If I'm not mistaken the fireworks are making a perfect facsimile of the opera house and outline of the harbour bridge.
last i checked, Democrats were extremely anti capitalism....the opposite of communism. Huh...and also anit-war. Maybe we should have left Hitler alone so we could all be nazis. Its not our problem....its europes. Hmm.
Problem is, because of the AUSFTA (Australia United States Free Trade Agreement) this law is supposed to become null and void early 2007....
ha, Australia rules, f**k Americam thier country is so full of sh*t. i hate em all, over 80% Americans dont have a passport, that just shows they think thier is no need to travel because thier country is uber leet. but realy, its the biggest f**k hole in this world, FACT!
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