"Mr. Modchips" Gets Caught and Fined

Piracy-related news surface every day, as the phenomenon has gone loose, giving massive headaches to all game and console producers. Taking that into consideration, every victory or justice over modders and hackers can be enjoyed to the fullest. This is also the case of "Mr. Modchips", or 39-year-old Neil Stanley Higgs, one of the most important UK modders.

The man was found guilty at Bristol Crown Court of no less than 26 offences, which include owning chipped consoles and managing an illegal business based on such products. "Mr. Modchips" also fumbled around with "Executor" modchips destined for Microsoft consoles and Viper GC chips, which he used for Nintendo consoles. Predictably enough, the modder claimed that the consoles and chips were the property of family and friends, so there's no point in claiming that he was running a modchip-based business.

Hmmm... Owning 19 chipped consoles makes you a collector of illegal goods or a modder. We'll go for the second one as the judge found the man guilty of the majority of charges. The word about Higgs' business got out when the ELSPA (Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association) discovered that the British man sold illegal chips and mods through his website - www.mrmodchips.com. A raid followed this discovery and it turned out that the man's HQ was at his parents' house.

It seems that Higgs will have to play a £1 Million fine and face a custodial sentence for his actions. However, we were surprised to find out that the entrepreneur was back in the biz, this time operating from a new HQ in Thailand, with the same Mrmodchips.com site. Did he flee to Asia searching for a new line of customers or is it just a temporary solution? Thumbs up for the ELSPA and their initiative that I hope will be followed by many others, in order to shut those modders down.