Major warez bust...

#1 I dont like M$... And i dont like the US government. But i dont like people like you getting ripped off (allthough id say corporations do more ripping off than piraters).

#2 In agreement with Tim here.

#3 hrm, odd... well the bust is on major news feeds... and ealier the site had a big ol' Department of Justice banner running across it with a statement...

Though, it looks operational again... perhaps the ip has to be sorted out in dns land...

Edit: Indeed, the DoJ has taken over the domain: http://149.101.1.91 is the ip which isonews.com WILL point to when the dns has filtered... though, they are already scrounging to set up shop elsewhere... amazing...

Anyway, yeah...

-J

#4 suply and demand in action...

#5 And an interesting twist comes out... the site has NOT been busted...

Quote:[20:37] * Now talking in #isonews
[20:37] * Topic is '[NO REQUESTS/SUPPORT] The site is not 'busted', it's a fake DNS entry. http://66.201.243.170/ (FlipMo)'
[20:37] * Set by Alley on Wed Feb 26

#6 I guess I would believe this over an IRC channel topic:

http://www.cybercrime.gov/rocciPlea.htm

:)

-J

#7 Hmmm... well that's odd that they would lie on the site's channel... not saying your link isn't more valid (because it clearly is valid), it just seems odd to me...

I'll be interested to see how this whole thing unfolds.

edit: spelling, grammar

#8 This should explain:

news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&ncid=1212&e=1&u=/nm/20030226/wr_nm/crime_copyrig...

#9 I'm not condoning piracy, but this one is a bit of a dangerous precedent if you ask me.

Yes, ISONews is(was) primarily used to trade information about pirated software. But it was also one of the first places I looked for information on writing custom software for my Dreamcast, and getting it to run. And it happened to be a quick way of seeing when my own software was pirated, and of seeing what was new in the world of copy protection. When I was asked to research copy protection by my employer, I went to the best source - pirates. I wasn't going to use anything that was defeated by a generic keygen or crack.

But this wasn't even about ISONews. It was about modchips.

Yes, modchips are used to play pirated console games. But they're also often the only way to play import games ("we have no real reason to prevent you from playing Crazy Japanese Game on your US PS2, but we will anyway"), and often the only way to develop your own software on these proprietary machines. I'm certainly not one of the "everything should be free" and "businesses SUCK, man!" camp. I do like to feel I can do whatever I want with a device I buy however, and this crackdown of modchips and the increase of DRM software on our computers is slowly eroding our freedom in this respect. Thank goodness there are still level-headed people around, like whoever thought up the Ignition licensing - that is a fair compromise between end user freedom and developer protection from abuse.

I'm sorry for rambling, it's the sinus medication.

#10 Well, I would say the big stink the government seems to be making about this is more because ISONEWS was so visible... and not the $$$ involved...

450 mod chips... totaling $28k... frankly, I find this pathetic...

At least it sends a message in a highly visible spot, or something...

-J

#11 There isn't enought being done against the big three (Government, Movies, Music) to control what's going to happen when DRM becomes mainstream. IE: It's coming an we don't have ANY say about it. I know we've sorta got EFF on our side, but there isn't a really public voice anywhere. No one is bothering to speak up when Senator Dipwad or Congressman Jackass says "I think we should lock everything on computers." I'm not even going to be able to distribute *my* software unless it complies with government established standards. This could mean many, many hours and many, many dollars of mine spent to get in compliance.

The consumer is losing out here because most of this is fought on the senate floor. And it's done on their time, and our dime. We're paying government to make up these silly laws about what and how, but we really don't have any say. The music and movie industries are the ones dictating to the government what these laws should include. Do you think this is going to benefit us?

We're all losing our grip on the OS. It's getting further and further from our hands. Soon we'll have to program through and API which accesses thru an API which talks to a security/DRM API which says "sorry, your app isn't allowed to run." And I wholehartedly believe that it'll become the domain of the rich. It'll become an elitist group as to who will be let into the inner circle and be able to develop for our "trusted OS".

If we don't speak up soon, people like Sonny Bono (or Bonehead, or whatever) are going to continue to modify laws that cater to the special interests. Look at where copyright laws went... That's what'll happen to our ability to design fun software on the cheap.

Okay, now *I'm* rambling...

- Brett

#12 That's absolutely right Brett. The thing us most of us, as educated geeks, already know that TCPA, DRM, etc are bad. We need to inform the public and show how it will hurt them, the consumer. This means showing that it will hit them in their pocket books. I challenge everyone here to do something to inform the public about what these will do to them.

#13 Don't get too carried away with this... I mean, the dude was selling mod chips after all...

isonews was a great place to find out about what would be on the shelf in the very near future, and catch some buzz... in some ways, I guess it could help sales... regardless, they didn't actually post any warez/etc... at the same time, as a game developer who counts on game sales, I really dislike to whole scene... double edged sword...

Really, I only think the feds nailed him because of the visibility... I would imagine there are many bigger fish out there who are distributing/selling warez/mod chips/etc in MUCH larger volume... this is a "fear us" tactic I think...

-J

#14 Microsoft would rather retard technological development, drive millions into poverty and destroy an economy then allow ther profit margins to get slimmer. Ive bought half-life twice, becuase it was dirt cheap. People wouldnt steal if they could afford the capricous pricing. Consoles deserve HEAVY 3rd party regulation, we all know microsoft will do anything it can to monopolise the entire video game market. In a way us struggling indie developers need pirates to keep greedy competing corps in check.

#15 Piracy in general is bad for everyone and there is no justification for it. Theft is theft. It was wrong back in biblical times and its just as wrong now. The sheer fact that you condone piracy in a lame and feeble attempt to think that you are actually hurting large corporations makes me think even less of you now than I did before. This is the very reason why we have so many new and poorly concieved laws to update our antiquated copyright laws or why industry groups are going on the offensive against all consumers. If you want to make a difference against large corporations there are better and smarter ways to do it, all it takes is for you to make an effort that stand a chance of succeeding.

As for Microsoft, for as many bad things that they have done which are wrong they have also done a hell of a lot for this industry of ours too. All I ask is that you do the research yourself and make an informed decision, people will respect your opinions on them a lot more if you do.

Logan

#16 I agree that piracy is theft and theft is bad, but getting 15 years for it? You can get a lesser sentence by killing someone! I may be wrong, but didn't someone recently get sentenced to 15 years for helping kill 300 plane passengers using a bomb? Things like this have reduced my trust in the legal/justice system to zero. It's another case of "let's make a statement with this case, and let's use this guy as an example".

#17

Quote:Consoles deserve HEAVY 3rd party regulation, we all know microsoft will do anything it can to monopolise the entire video game market. In a way us struggling indie developers need pirates to keep greedy competing corps in check.

That's laughable. When companies lose money they either A: raise prices or B: cut the fat to close the gap. Projects get cancelled and people lose their jobs. In the end the consumer ends up paying for the pirate's 'booty' and/or employees end up paying for it with the loss of their jobs. I fail to see how that keeps them "in check". Don't forget, the game industry is a business.

#18 Max sentence according to that Justice Department site is 5 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. I think its appropriate... he was selling a product that was illegally imported into the country.

I'm sure he will end up with a much lesser sentence.

On a side note... I used to live in the same town as that guy(its where Virginia Tech is located)... I thought I recognized the name.. wonder if I met him at a party or something.

#19 TCPA itself is not a bad thing. It enables you to have greater security on your PC. But the miss uses of the technology are bad IMO. Things like DRM and Palladium are bad and are misuses of the technology. They instead use this greater security control to infringe on our rights to privacy and control our PC. There is a simple solution to this. Use Linux or buy a Mac. Microsoft is the only one pushing DRM, while some linux distros (IBM is creating one) will have TCPA they wont have DRM. Also do not buy hardware that TCPA can't be turned off of and you will be fine...although enabled it should be no big deal as long as you arent running Micronazi software. Palladium is a big gamble by Microsoft and could lead to their downfall As more people seak alternatives to maintain their privacy and control over their PC.

#20

Quote: In a way us struggling indie developers need pirates to keep greedy competing corps in check.

Indie software developers need pirates? What planet do you live on? Get a clue, please.