Australian law firm Minters Ellison has issued a news alert which explains how the Free Trade Agreement is probably going to affect your ability to chip your consoles:

The AUSFTA requires Australia to prohibit the use of devices and services to circumvent TPMs. Currently Australia does not prohibit the use of devices and services to circumvent TPMs but does prohibit activities in relation to circumvention devices (such as manufacture or sale).
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The exposure draft prohibits the use of devices and services to circumvent access control TPMs. It is an offence to circumvent access control TPMs punishable by a fine of up to $6,600.

Further, if you provide devices or services of this nature you can score 5 years in jail and/or a $60,500 fine.

not that this really affects me, but this would most likely hurt a lot of businesses that specialise in this wouldn't it?

well it was bound to happen eventually, hopefully it will still be easy enough to get your hands on the chips themselves as modding consoles aint that hard to do if you or someone you know, knows how to solder.

technological protection measure

That's all fine and dandy - You don't provide "XBOX 360 MOD Chipping" service, you provide "Samsung DVD drive firmware update" service. Make'm pull the drive out themsevles and bring it to your store.

not withstanding the fact that by changing the law like this businesses operating on the basis of that high court decision who are operating lawfully, are having their business appropriated from them by the commonwealth.

under the commonwealth constitution property may only be appropriated by the government on just terms.

therefore if this law change goes ahead, any modding business owners would have a viable claim for compensation against the commonwealth.

I would hardly call it a legitiment business, they are offering a service which is basically making it possible to pirate software. I doubt that would stand up in court.

Also the only "modding businesses" i've seen are people working out of their backyard shed's. correct me if im wrong tho

it is legitimate insofar as the installation of the mod is presently not unlawful. selling vcrs and hdd dvd recorders supports piracy too remember.

my point is, the installation of these things offeres no legitiment alternative to software piracy. completely unlike a vcr or dvd recorder.

so what, the act of piracy is not committed by installing these devices.

piracy is an act of stealing intellectual property.

They may be pretty weak ones, but personal backups and homebrew software are legitimate uses for mod-chips.

preventative measures, why do you think its illegal to sell guns to people? sure your not murduring someone... do you catch my drift?

As long as games are region free I don't care. I guess being told it is illegal to modify something that you bought is a bit tough. But really, there is only one main reason people do it, and I don't think it deserves any sympathy.

last edited by ccl at 15:32:59 07/Sep/06

How can you advocate region free games then imply that the only reason people mod their consoles is to pirate games in the same breath?

Sorry I'll rephrase. If new consoles coming out are region free (which AFAIK they are?), then the main driving reason to modify them is to run pirate games.

It sucks to legit peeps who want to run it as a media center, and backup legit games to the HD, but in hindsight I doubt that there would have been any big drive to do so with the xbox1 if it didn't also mean being able to pirate games.

i was under the impression xbox360 wasnt region free, thus why people are flashing there drives firmware.

d[o_0]b, selling CDs and DVDs is helping pirate games and software, selling internet access is helping games and software etc etc....catch my drift?

yep gotcha

my point is, the installation of these things offeres no legitiment alternative to software piracy. completely unlike a vcr or dvd recorder cd's/dvd's internet access.

Quick google reveals your right. Oddly enough, there are some exceptions though.

I thought they had not used it this round for the very reason that they can try and outlaw chips. i.e. remove one of the main reasons for having them legitimately.

To be physically able to pirate games requires an active and healthy respiration system.

I think I know what we need to ban next.

i like your thinking. ban germaine.

d[o_0]b, your post makes no sense really. Why would there by no alternate to software piracy if you have a mod chip? You can use it as a media player, you can play imported games, you can switch the chip off and play online with your legal games etc. having a modchip does not immediatly mean its for pirating software. Does having a burner in your computer mean your going to be burning illegal MP3s?

Also the only "modding businesses" i've seen are people working out of their backyard shed's. correct me if im wrong tho

gc mod chips

A very prominent business situated just outside pacific fair directly on the gold coast highway.

edit: not a very prominent website though

last edited by fpot at 15:57:07 07/Sep/06

^standing corrected

anyways Eds consoles already play dvd's and mp3's browse the web and what not. the only reason people have chips is to play roms and images from hard disks.

See thats at odds with other Australian legislation. You are allowed to circumvent TPM that enforces regionalisation (or in other words prevents imports from working).

Xbox 360 is only region free if you buy the Japanese version

bring it on TPM police haha

Sif they have manpower to police such "crimes"

If they gave consoles the ability to run homebrew and to run region free, then they could nip this one in the bud. Then, and only then, would mod chipping be used for just piracy. But I can't really see that all happening.

In the meantime, yar!

"Xbox 360 is only region free if you buy the Japanese version"

The games are region free. Not the systems. It's up to the game makers to decide if they want to make their games region free.

America is ruining our country!

anyways Eds consoles already play dvd's and mp3's browse the web and what not. the only reason people have chips is to play roms and images from hard disks.

Did you know you can download movies and tv episodes from places like itunes? That's what our xbox currently runs.

The games are region free. Not the systems. It's up to the game makers to decide if they want to make their games region free.

Japanese xbox can play games from every region, even if they aren't region free. That's what i meant by japanese xbox is region free. I know there are region free games.

I guess Ivan at Blade is going to be have to change his line of business then....

disappointing

i only bought an xbox because we could mod them (software mod)

media centre <3