Australian court rules modified PlayStation legal...

[Zim Hosein]

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The High Court of Australia ruled on Thursday that modifying Sony PlayStation consoles so they can play overseas versions or copies of games did not breach Australian copyright laws.

The ruling was a victory for Sydney retailer Eddy Stevens who has been involved in a four-year battle with consumer electronics giant Sony Corp. after he modified Australian-made PlayStation consoles for customers so they could play cheaper overseas versions of games.

Sony had sued Stevens because he had sold PlayStations with modified chips, overcoming regional coding blocks that stopped the machine playing imported or copied games.

Sony claimed Stevens violated its copyright by bypassing encrypted access codes aimed at protecting copyright.

While PlayStations are sold in many parts of the world, the format of the consoles and the CD-ROMs on which games are played varies. The format depends on the television system standard that operates in the market where the console is produced.

In Japan, Southeast Asia and North America the format matches the National Television Systems Committee (NTSC), while in Australia and Europe it matches Phase Alternating Line

(PAL).

The result means a PlayStation game bought in Japan or the United States will not be loaded by a PlayStation console in Australia unless an access code is bypassed.

Sony lost an initial court battle against Stevens, but won an appeal. Stevens then appealed to the High Court of Australia in Canberra, the national capital, which ruled in his favor.

"This is a hell of a victory for the consumer -- that's why we did it," Stevens told Australian television.

In a unanimous decision, the High Court accepted the finding of an earlier Federal Court that Stevens' "mod chips" would only breach copyright if they were designed to circumvent systems in the machine which prevented or inhibited copying of games. Continued ...

© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.

Australian court rules modified PlayStation legal

I'm getting my PS3 modchip from Australia! :evil:

 

[eplebnista]

Originally posted by: Zim Hosein

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The High Court of Australia ruled on Thursday that modifying Sony PlayStation consoles so they can play overseas versions or copies of games did not breach Australian copyright laws.

The ruling was a victory for Sydney retailer Eddy Stevens who has been involved in a four-year battle with consumer electronics giant Sony Corp. after he modified Australian-made PlayStation consoles for customers so they could play cheaper overseas versions of games.

Sony had sued Stevens because he had sold PlayStations with modified chips, overcoming regional coding blocks that stopped the machine playing imported or copied games.

Sony claimed Stevens violated its copyright by bypassing encrypted access codes aimed at protecting copyright.

While PlayStations are sold in many parts of the world, the format of the consoles and the CD-ROMs on which games are played varies. The format depends on the television system standard that operates in the market where the console is produced.

In Japan, Southeast Asia and North America the format matches the National Television Systems Committee (NTSC), while in Australia and Europe it matches Phase Alternating Line

(PAL).

The result means a PlayStation game bought in Japan or the United States will not be loaded by a PlayStation console in Australia unless an access code is bypassed.

Sony lost an initial court battle against Stevens, but won an appeal. Stevens then appealed to the High Court of Australia in Canberra, the national capital, which ruled in his favor.

"This is a hell of a victory for the consumer -- that's why we did it," Stevens told Australian television.

In a unanimous decision, the High Court accepted the finding of an earlier Federal Court that Stevens' "mod chips" would only breach copyright if they were designed to circumvent systems in the machine which prevented or inhibited copying of games. Continued ...

© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.

Australian court rules modified PlayStation legal

I'm getting my PS3 modchip from Australia! :evil:

:shocked:

 

[Whitecloak]

arrrr

 

[blakeatwork]

well, at least dug777 will have a job again...

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: Zim Hosein


Australian court rules modified PlayStation legal

I'm getting my PS3 modchip from Australia! :evil:

so is everyone else in the world

 

[zugzoog]

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: Zim Hosein


Australian court rules modified PlayStation legal

I'm getting my PS3 modchip from Australia! :evil:

so is everyone else in the world

You had better be quick. The Free trade agreement with the US may force the Australian Government to legislate against this Text

This would then effectively it illegal for an Australian going to the US, buying a legal game/CD/DVD and play it on his/her Australian equipment. Have to love a Free trade agreemnet that restricts trade.....

 

[kogase]

I'd move to Australia but I don't give a sh|t about mod chips. And a dingo would probably steal my PS anyway. You can put a dress on a pig...

 

[Kaervak]

Good to see a country actually get it for a change. Now if only the US government would pull it's head out of it's ass for once.

 

[SynthDude2001]

Hmmm...maybe I should move to Australia and live with Dug after all

 

[DainBramaged]

Originally posted by: SynthDude2001
Hmmm...maybe I should move to Australia and live with Dug after all

only if you send pics of the hot action

 

[raildogg]

Originally posted by: Kaervak
Good to see a country actually get it for a change. Now if only the US government would pull it's head out of it's ass for once.

I put a mod chip in my Playstation 1 a long time ago ...

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: DainBramaged

Originally posted by: SynthDude2001
Hmmm...maybe I should move to Australia and live with Dug after all

only if you send pics of the hot action

:Q

The hot mod chip action...?

 

[DainBramaged]

Originally posted by: SynthDude2001

Originally posted by: DainBramaged

Originally posted by: SynthDude2001
Hmmm...maybe I should move to Australia and live with Dug after all

only if you send pics of the hot action

:Q

The hot mod chip action...?

er...uh....yeah, I meant of the mod chip, not you two having sex...yeah thats it

 

[dug777]

 

[Kaervak]

Originally posted by: raildogg

Originally posted by: Kaervak
Good to see a country actually get it for a change. Now if only the US government would pull it's head out of it's ass for once.

I put a mod chip in my Playstation 1 a long time ago ...

As did I. However thanks to the DMCA that is currently illegal.