Anything is possible, but do you really think that would be as much of an issue if it were true? Chances are it’s not the case. Especially if the prices were only a bit higher for the Xboxes with ripped games.
Anything is possible, but do you really think that would be as much of an issue if it were true? Chances are it’s not the case. Especially if the prices were only a bit higher for the Xboxes with ripped games.[/quote]
Were they? The thing that made me think of it was the one post on that site you linked that said that they were charging more based on how many games were ripped onto the HD.
They’re crazy to do that shit in a brick and mortar store. If they did business over the internet, only sold out of state, and didn’t put pirated software on the disks (what were they fucking mental?) chances are they’d never be proscecuted. Too much red tape.
Again, it’s not illegal to have a modded Xbox. It’s illegal to have the pirate bios installed in the mod chip. Granted, that’s what everyone does, but if you just sell the chip with the Linux booter, you aren’t breaking the law, since it can’t circumvent the copy protection until you install the illegal bios.
K
That’s incorrect. When you run unsigned code (such as linux) on an xbox, you are circumventing access controls. It is specifically covered under the DMCA. It is also illegal to have a codefree DVD player.
That’s why the DMCA is so chilling; it prohibits the tools of copywrite infringement. It doesn’t address the actual act of piracy at all.
It’s equivalent to banning both socks and quarters just because you can conceivably kill someone with a sock full of quarters.
I’m pretty sure I’ve heard of a few lower courts already started tossing out provisions of the DMCA. No links, of course. Too tired to bother.
I think the DVDs at Image and Sound are actually Hong Kong DVDs in NTSC format. They aren’t burnt copies. Doesn’t make it right. but at $20 for three, how can you go wrong!?[/quote]
Well, it’s not like those HK DVDs are just imports… they’re bootlegged DVDs that are pressed and sold en masse by the Triad. They are, in fact, burnt copies – just not burnt by the store.[/quote]
Yeah, they’re super pirated. Shrek 2 was available a month after it was released to theatres. It’s amazingly high quality packaging as well. I buy all my stuff legit, but it’s still grating
I think the DVDs at Image and Sound are actually Hong Kong DVDs in NTSC format. They aren’t burnt copies. Doesn’t make it right. but at $20 for three, how can you go wrong!?[/quote]
Well, it’s not like those HK DVDs are just imports… they’re bootlegged DVDs that are pressed and sold en masse by the Triad. They are, in fact, burnt copies – just not burnt by the store.[/quote]
Really? It’s not like there’s a sticker on the DVD, its actually printed on. Plus most of them at Sony DVD-9s.
I think the DVDs at Image and Sound are actually Hong Kong DVDs in NTSC format. They aren’t burnt copies. Doesn’t make it right. but at $20 for three, how can you go wrong!?[/quote]
Well, it’s not like those HK DVDs are just imports… they’re bootlegged DVDs that are pressed and sold en masse by the Triad. They are, in fact, burnt copies – just not burnt by the store.[/quote]
Really? It’s not like there’s a sticker on the DVD, its actually printed on. Plus most of them at Sony DVD-9s.[/quote]
Yes, they really are pirated. Those people in Hong Kong just have a very high quality duplication deal set up. In fact, even as a man who occasionally partakes of the “Yarrr!” and “Harr!” (if you know what I mean), I find this type of piracy to be probably the worst. I figure that if the company is not making any money off the purchase, at the very least you should have a shitty version of it.
I think the DVDs at Image and Sound are actually Hong Kong DVDs in NTSC format. They aren’t burnt copies. Doesn’t make it right. but at $20 for three, how can you go wrong!?[/quote]
Well, it’s not like those HK DVDs are just imports… they’re bootlegged DVDs that are pressed and sold en masse by the Triad. They are, in fact, burnt copies – just not burnt by the store.[/quote]
Yeah, they’re super pirated. Shrek 2 was available a month after it was released to theatres. It’s amazingly high quality packaging as well. I buy all my stuff legit, but it’s still grating[/quote]
DAMN good quality. Anyway, Pacific Mall sells pirated video games (burnt in store - $10), unlocked phones, truck loads of pirated anime and I’m sure there’s more.
I think the DVDs at Image and Sound are actually Hong Kong DVDs in NTSC format. They aren’t burnt copies. Doesn’t make it right. but at $20 for three, how can you go wrong!?[/quote]
Well, it’s not like those HK DVDs are just imports… they’re bootlegged DVDs that are pressed and sold en masse by the Triad. They are, in fact, burnt copies – just not burnt by the store.[/quote]
Really? It’s not like there’s a sticker on the DVD, its actually printed on. Plus most of them at Sony DVD-9s.[/quote]
Yes, they really are pirated. Those people in Hong Kong just have a very high quality duplication deal set up. In fact, even as a man who occasionally partakes of the “Yarrr!” and “Harr!” (if you know what I mean), I find this type of piracy to be probably the worst. I figure that if the company is not making any money off the purchase, at the very least you should have a shitty version of it.[/quote]
…or failing that, download it from suprnova or something, and not give money to a murderous organized crime syndicate.
I still remember the days when the pirates sold Falcon 3.0 with a printed and bound copy of the 2-inch manual. Now, that, my friends, was piracy.
This is a link to a swedish store, who sells modded systems (PS2 and XBOX). No secrecy at all, from what I can tell. The site is very clear about it’s business, and there is even directions to the real store located in Stockholm. So I guess it’s all legal over here?
http://www.psxcare.com/ (swedish language)
I guess that’s because there’s no DMCA-equivalent in Sweden?
I don’t like a lot of the implications the DMCA has (can’t override shitty CD protection so you can legally use music you legally bought?!) It probably wasn’t even necessary in this case, as selling an Xbox pre-loaded with games is a pretty clear copyright violation. The benefit, I guess, is the extra criminal charges that hopefully increase the fines in order to make this a less viable business
At least until there is a Euro-DMCA (which, sadly, is looking possible).
But then you have Norwegian mail-order :)
To me piracy is a zero sum game- either you are one or you aren’t. Having said that, I think the VAST majority of Americans (myself included) engage in, or sanction, some form of pirating, and are thus also engaging in hypocrisy by condemning others.
Have you ever copied a friend’s tape or cd? Ever downloaded a song from the Internet that wasn’t a sanctioned download? Download any porn without paying? Ever back up a game or dvd? Ever use a no-cd crack? Ever use an emulator? Ever use a mod chip?
I think we are too quick to condemn others and rationalize away our own activities. I know this is splitting hairs, but perhaps most of us should clarify our perspective and say we are against large-scale pirating.
Pirating is something that everyone has probably done - but no one is proud of. To be honest, I’d be perfectly happy to see piracy gone. Or maybe just on a much more localized scale.
Lending a friend a game you bought and using a No-CD crack for yourself is something that I don’t find very harmful.
Huge P2P Networks, selling modded Xboxs with games loaded on, that sort of thing, I could care less about. They’re harmful, and I’d love to see them gone. At least on such a scale where anyone can do it - friends lending games at a LAN or something is much more acceptable, but when your trafficing softwares that aren’t yours something is just going over the line.
Blah, its such a messy subject.
But, you wouldn’t want to REWARD that sort of behavior, would you? :wink:
First of all, I don’t think you know what zero-sum means. Secondly, do you really believe that playing one copied game when you were young makes you a pirate for life? Because you kinda spend the rest of your post saying the opposite.
Prior to this whole RIAA lawsuit festival, the general rule was that as long as you weren’t charging money, nobody really cared.
no way, that show sucks!