Mod Chip Raids?

[Altruist]

What's the deal with the mod chip raids? I have a mod chip for my wii, but as far as I know, I'm not doing anything illegal with it (importing games). Just to be sure, the act of HAVING a mod chip is not illegal, right? It's not worth it to me to do something illegal to get out of region games before they're in the US (I do indeed pay for them, not download them), so I'm trying to figure out why there were so many raids recently... If modding isn't illegal, why did people get arrested just for selling chips???

[Ads]

[Spyro]

It's NOT illegal to have one. It's illegal to play ripped games that you don't own.

[Skippy]

Devices that circumvent copyright protection violate the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act). It doesn't matter if you're using it to play pirated games or using the chip as a refrigerator magnet.

[Altruist]

Lol, so one person says it's ok, one doesn't... Really though, it's absolute BS for anyone to say that its purpose is to circumvent copyright laws. I mean heck, I would think that torrents would get shut down for that reason a HECK of a lot sooner than mod chips.

[Skippy]

Most torrents (the ones for illegal stuff) are hosted in countries that don't recognize US copyright laws.

[Spyro]

It's not illegal for Americans to buy Japanese CD's online and listen to them, why should it be illegal for UK or Australians to buy American video games and PLAY them?

[blueradio]

I really wish I had one.
They're pretty badass.
Didn't the new update make the mod chips firmware not work though?
I heard if you download the digital clock all the modchips get locked permanently.

[Arcadium]

Modchips are fine to me. You can actually do ANYTHING you want to your console, because ITS YOUR CONSOLE, nintendo doesn't has any right to say you can't do that. If I buy a Wii, and I wanna put a modchip to it, I can do it, and there is nothing illigal in that (at least in my country).

[Altruist]

I really wish I had one.
They're pretty badass.
Didn't the new update make the mod chips firmware not work though?
I heard if you download the digital clock all the modchips get locked permanently.

I don't know about the clock, but no, the new update doesn't make the chips not work... I have the newest update and mine is fine. It said something about "This may cause your system to no longer function if you made any technical modifications", but I already knew people with the chip that had the update, so I just got it anyways and I'm fine. I guess I'll make sure I don't get the clock. Actually, I've only played once or twice since getting the update, but for some reason, I'm thinking that it may have come with the clock... I know I've seen the digital clock on a wii somewhere and I haven't played anyone else's in quite awhile...

[JBWIII]

Modchips are fine to me. You can actually do ANYTHING you want to your console, because ITS YOUR CONSOLE, nintendo doesn't has any right to say you can't do that. If I buy a Wii, and I wanna put a modchip to it, I can do it, and there is nothing illigal in that (at least in my country).

It's great that you think that, but I'm not even sure that it's legal in Colombia. It might just not be enforced.