Mr. Modchips Looks At Jail

A UK man who sold chips to modify gaming consoles so they’d play pirated games is found guilty of copyright offenses.

He called himself Mr. Modchips, but the only thing he might be modifying in the near future is a jail cell.   The man, whose real name is Neil Higgs, from Bristol, UK, was found guilty last week of 26 offenses under a 2003 amendment to the 1988 Copyright Act. He’s the second person in the UK to be found guilty under the amendment, which was introduced to stop these kinds of chip offenses.  A Mr Modchips site appears to still be operating, but it’s unclear whether this is linked to Higgs.   Higgs had been in business for five years and had made over $2 million from his business, selling chips that modify games consoles and allow them to play pirated games. He first came to the notice of authorities last year, and a raid on his parents’ home netted a number of computers containing over 200,000 e-mails, along with 3,700 chips imported from Hong Kong.   Michael Rawlinson, of the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers’ Association, which, along with Trading Standards, had conducted the raid, said,   “It marks a milestone in the fight against piracy.”   Pirate chips cost the gaming industry over $10 billion a year.   Higgs was given leave to appeal, and his sentencing will take place at a later date.