UK High Court Rules Modchips Illegal

PhotoBoy writes "The Register has an article about the UK's High Court ruling PlayStation 2 modchips to be illegal. This means all homebrew and hobbyist coders in the UK can no longer modify their consoles to run games they have written. Gamers who like to mod their consoles to play games on import early are also out of luck. It's like saying you can't modify your car or your house or your clothes! Would Ford sue you for removing the rev limiter from your Focus?"

No.

[Anonymous Coward]

"Would Ford sue you for removing the rev limiter from your Focus?"

But the family of the little girl you ran over and killed would. Besides.. It's a Focus.

Modifying your clothes?

[burgburgburg]

It's like saying you can't modify your car or your house or your clothes!

You modify your clothes?!? You kids today. In my day, that was a hanging offense. Why the whole Vietnam conflict can be traced to it's root clothing modification basis, essentially.

And as for this house modification notion, I understand that you kids hang out at that "Home Depot" head shop. There are still some people who respect the original conception of the builders and wouldn't think of altering it. I'm proud to be one of them.

Modifying a car? How would one even do that, what with the hood welded shut at the factory, like it is? That's just nonsense.

Hey, wait....

[cheeseSource]

I have a Focus. How do I get rid of the rev limiter?

Re:fair and balanced?

[Anonymous Coward]

Slashdot is fair and balanced.

Just like FOX News.

Welcome to Home2.0

[l0ungeb0y]

Realtor: "This is a modern luxory home built by Home2.0. Pricing for Family Unit Licenses vary based upon geographic location, Regional Demographics, size of Family Unit and estiamted annual income for the course of your License. Base Per Family Unit Licenses start at $750,000.00 in the California Bay Area."

Home Buyer: "Base Per Family Unit License????"

Realtor: "Yes, your mortgage provides you a Family Unit License authorizing you use of the Home2.0 product for 1 Family Unit until transferance of that license to another Family Unit."

Home Buyer: "Use? But I'm here to buy, not rent."

Realtor: "But, you do buy! You buy the Family Unit License to use the Home2.0 product for your Family Unit."

Home Buyer: "So if I'm buying only a license, who owns the home?"

Realtor: "Home2.0 of course. They retain the exclusive right to monitor your home usage and make regular maintenance inspections and install upgrades as needed to insure standards of living compliance."

Home Buyer: "And I always modded those "1984" Posts on /. down as trolls." *sigh*

Re:Wait, the description of the decision is wrong

[CrowScape]

But that's an "and", not an "or." Come on, the judge knows he's dealing with computer savy people here so he must know the function of that logical operator, right? Right? Damn...

Re:So what?

[tsm_sf]

Yes, I made up all of my numbers, but the proportions are generally right.

Thanks for contributing in your own small way to the death of Science. Keep it up, and remember to vote Republican this fall.

Re:Don't Forget

[wwahammy]

"Computers are used for vandalism and fraud, but they are still legal."

Orrin Hatch I'm SURE will fix that loophole in the law soon enough.