College Kid May get 10 Years in Prison for Modding Consoles
08-04-09, 11:19 AM
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College Kid May get 10 Years in Prison for Modding Consoles
OC man charged with modifying video game consoles
(AP) – 12 hours ago
LOS ANGELES — A Southern California college student has been arrested on federal charges that he illegally modified video game consoles to enable the machines to play pirated video games.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says 27-year-old Matthew Crippen was released Monday night after posting $5,000 bond.
The California State University, Fullerton student who lives in Anaheim is accused of modifying Xbox, PlayStation and Wii consoles in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents got a tip from the Entertainment Software Association and searched Crippen's home in May.
He was indicted on two counts by a federal grand jury. Crippen faces 10 years in prison if convicted and is scheduled for arraignment on Aug. 10.
Attempts to reach Crippen for comment were unsuccessful.
Any sympathy for this guy? I think it shows how messed up our legal system is when a hacker kid gets punished a lot more than harden criminals. No wonder the US has the highest prison population in the world!
I wonder how the ESA found out about him.
08-04-09, 11:24 AM
#2
Moderator
Re: College Kid May get 10 Years in Prison for Modding Consoles
The article doesn't say this explicitly but I'm guessing he was running a business where people could bring their consoles to him and he'd mod them.
08-04-09, 11:30 AM
#4
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Re: College Kid May get 10 Years in Prison for Modding Consoles
I'd imagine he was doing more than just his own systems. Probably doing it for others in a for-profit venture. It could be rough on the companies, but no way is it 10 years rough. If he did do it to a lot of systems, I could see somewhere between 6 and 18 months being a suitable punishment.
08-04-09, 11:34 AM
#6
Moderator
Re: College Kid May get 10 Years in Prison for Modding Consoles
By the way, when an article is worded like this: "Crippen faces 10 years in prison if convicted" it doesn't mean he's been sentenced to 10 years in prison, just that this is the maximum sentence. My guess is that this guy will just plea bargin himself to a couple years probation.
08-04-09, 11:39 AM
#7
DVD Talk Legend
Re: College Kid May get 10 Years in Prison for Modding Consoles
Nobody who is 27 years old is a "kid", college or no college.
Ten years seems harsh and excessive. Probation and fines seem justified here.
And our prison population is so large because of idiotic, antiquated drug laws and sentencing guidelines. Also, buggery.
Ten years seems harsh and excessive. Probation and fines seem justified here.
And our prison population is so large because of idiotic, antiquated drug laws and sentencing guidelines. Also, buggery.
08-04-09, 11:57 AM
#8
DVD Talk Legend
Re: College Kid May get 10 Years in Prison for Modding Consoles
So it's illegal to modify a console? Why? He wasn't selling pirated games was he? Does anyone here actually like the DMCA? This is the law that prevents us from making legal copies of our own software and media because breaking the encryption is against the law, even though you are technically allowed to have backups. Modded consoles do more than just play pirated games. If it's his console, or whoever he was paid to mod, why can't they? They paid for the console. You void your warranty and do as you please. I just don't see why that should be illegal.
08-04-09, 12:12 PM
#9
DVD Talk Hero
Re: College Kid May get 10 Years in Prison for Modding Consoles
Yeah, I don't get the issue if he's simply doing the mod. If he's providing pirated games on top of that service (which is highly likely), then sure.
But this is also the same sort of argument that places like Pirate Bay use. "Hey, man, I'm not giving the illegal stuff away, I just provide the avenue to find it!"
But this is also the same sort of argument that places like Pirate Bay use. "Hey, man, I'm not giving the illegal stuff away, I just provide the avenue to find it!"
08-04-09, 12:15 PM
#10
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Re: College Kid May get 10 Years in Prison for Modding Consoles
It's like punishing a guy for selling a bong, and only a bong. However, what other people do with it.... 
08-04-09, 12:15 PM
#11
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Re: College Kid May get 10 Years in Prison for Modding Consoles
So it's illegal to modify a console? Why? He wasn't selling pirated games was he? Does anyone here actually like the DMCA? This is the law that prevents us from making legal copies of our own software and media because breaking the encryption is against the law, even though you are technically allowed to have backups. Modded consoles do more than just play pirated games. If it's his console, or whoever he was paid to mod, why can't they? They paid for the console. You void your warranty and do as you please. I just don't see why that should be illegal.
08-04-09, 12:38 PM
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08-04-09, 12:51 PM
#13
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Re: College Kid May get 10 Years in Prison for Modding Consoles
[Hundred Year Old British Murderer Humor]10 years is light for what Crippen did. He ought to be hanged.[/Hundred Year Old British Murderer Humor]
08-04-09, 01:02 PM
#14
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Re: College Kid May get 10 Years in Prison for Modding Consoles
The DMCA is such a load of shit to begin with that I oppose just about anything done under it. That's coming from someone who's never illegally downloaded an album, song, movie or game. It's ludicrous that jail time is even an option for physically altering privately owned property that has been bought and paid for.
08-04-09, 01:14 PM
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08-04-09, 01:23 PM
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Re: College Kid May get 10 Years in Prison for Modding Consoles
Last edited by Supermallet; 08-04-09 at 01:44 PM.
08-04-09, 01:29 PM
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08-04-09, 02:23 PM
#20
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: College Kid May get 10 Years in Prison for Modding Consoles
I was a broke college kid who did this for beer money when I was 19. Made $20 a mod for the PSOne. I never advertised though, it was just through word of mouth. Never provided or sold any pirated software that's for sure. I never thought the actual modification process was illegal.
Edit: looks like the DMCA wasn't signed into law until '98 so I guess it wasn't illegal when I did this in '96. But seriously, jail time? For modding?
Edit: looks like the DMCA wasn't signed into law until '98 so I guess it wasn't illegal when I did this in '96. But seriously, jail time? For modding?
Last edited by rabbit77; 08-04-09 at 03:59 PM.
08-04-09, 03:39 PM
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Re: College Kid May get 10 Years in Prison for Modding Consoles
So it's illegal to modify a console? Why? He wasn't selling pirated games was he? Does anyone here actually like the DMCA? This is the law that prevents us from making legal copies of our own software and media because breaking the encryption is against the law, even though you are technically allowed to have backups. Modded consoles do more than just play pirated games. If it's his console, or whoever he was paid to mod, why can't they? They paid for the console. You void your warranty and do as you please. I just don't see why that should be illegal.
08-04-09, 06:44 PM
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