Italian Court Rules Mod Chips Are Legal
- January 23, 2004 19:05 PM PST
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Judges say mod chips avoid monopolistic positions.
An Italian court has ruled that PlayStation 2 mod chips are legal, stating that the chips are designed to "avoid monopolistic positions," according to the Association pour la Liberte dans les Communications Electroniques Interactives. The case was brought to court after Italian police seized a number of modded PS2's."It's a little like Fiat marketing its cars while banning them from being driven by non-European citizens or outside towns," the judges commented. The court criticized Sony's software restrictions, saying that limiting software releases for the European market was "absurd."
The ruling may have far reaching consequences, as it could affect the legality of region-restricted DVD players, and encourage other countries to follow suit.
A similar ruling was made in Australia two years ago, permitting Xboxes and PS2's to be modded. However, the decision was overturned last year after Sony appealed the Federal Court's decision.
