mr modchips

**custard** · 25-10-2007

BLOG - A ‘businessman’ who traded under the name Mr Modchips has become only the second person in the UK to be convicted for distributing and selling chipped consoles.

Neil Stanley Higgs of Bristol, who set up his modchip operations in 2002, is said to have pocketed turnover in excess of £1 million from his illegal business dealings.

39 year-old Higgs was found guilty of 26 offences: three counts of advertising, supplying and selling modification chips designed to enable people to play illegally copied games on their consoles, 12 counts of possessing 19 chipped games consoles and another 11 counts of possessing Executor modchips for Microsoft consoles, as well as Viper GC chips for Nintendo systems. He was cleared of a further four counts of possessing chipped consoles.

Seized consoles and emails on the computers at Higgs’ flat were used as evidence against him in court. Higgs argued that all 19 of the chipped consoles found in his possession were owned by friends and family, but this line of defense was dismissed by Judge Carole Hagen.

Higgs was tracked down by Bristol City Council’s Trading Standards after Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) investigators found illegal chips and modification equipment being sold through his website at www.mrmodchips.com and www.mrmodchips.co.uk.

“This case today sets a major precedent which marks a milestone in the fight against piracy, protecting the games industry’s investment in fantastic games,” said Michael Rawlinson, managing director of ELSPA.

“It sends a clear message to anyone tempted to become involved in ‘chipping’ consoles that this is a criminal offence and will be dealt in the strongest possible way. The modification of consoles is an activity that ELSPA’s anti-piracy team is prioritizing – it is encouraging to see the UK courts do the same.”

The jury at his trial voted unamimously against Higgs, whose lawyers requested leave to appeal which was granted by the Judge. A date for the appeal hearing has yet to be set.

mr modchips was a big supplier in the xbox 1 chipping days but not one i used.
a few dissapeared around the same time

Trancendental · 28-10-2007

Isn't there a Loop hole where if the seller puts in a description or disclaimer that the mods are for running backed up games and not intended for the illegal running of copied games etc etc blah blah blah it would be alright?

**custard** · 28-10-2007

nope not really.regardless of the intended use the non linux bios you need to flash to the chip is made with M$ xbox development tools and as such is illegall.
thats why selling pre modded consoles is dodgier.technically an unflashed chip is of no use so thats a grey area

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