Xbox Update Confounds Console Pirates

[Critical_Sneeze]

It's not legal to back up your discs. It says so right on the warranty that comes with the game. I don't have a game on me right now to write it here, but check the back of the instruction manual. It essentially says "Backing up your game isn't necessary so don't do it."

Isn't game copying for purposes of backup covered by fair use law? Also, see the other reply. If we really are only buying a license, then surely backup copies are necessary.

 

[Sarah Kerrigan]

Oh so thatr's what the update was for. ANychance why it took friggin two hours? I play no pirated games, and wouldn't it just be better if they made you take the update if you had pirated games?

 

[MurderousToaster]

I really like it when developers don't get really pissed off at pirates.

It's much funnier when they make small, silent changes like this. It irritates the pirates no end.

 

[_Cake_]

I can't stand people who get on their high horses "Good that's what you get". Like I payed for my games, but what a pious attitude.

 

[ConnorTheRed]

Take that, you swashbuckling blackhearts!

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

wait, modded xbox can still be used online?! y would pirates update their xbox?

The update disables your Xbox Live connection until it's installed. The message is something along the lines of: "An update is available for Xbox Live. You will be unable to connect to Xbox Live until this update is applied. Would you like to install this update now?". So basically pirates can update their Xbox and not be able to play half their games, or they can not update their Xbox and only be able to play offline.

EDIT - Oh, yeah, OT! I wondered what that update was. Won't affect me though. In the words of the great Kryten: "Activate smug mode".

 

[comadorcrack]

Lets no suck our dicks too soon. Pirates always find a way back in....

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Oh so thatr's what the update was for. ANychance why it took friggin two hours? I play no pirated games, and wouldn't it just be better if they made you take the update if you had pirated games?

How the fuck would they be able to tell if you did or didn't have one, exactly?

 

[Xaryn Mar]

I'm not a fan of piracy, but what about the people who were just using backups?

It's not legal to back up your discs. It says so right on the warranty that comes with the game. I don't have a game on me right now to write it here, but check the back of the instruction manual. It essentially says "Backing up your game isn't necessary so don't do it."

It is in Denmark and most of Scandinavia if I remeber correctly. The same goes for movies and music as long as it is for backup purposes. So this move by M$ just sort of went against the law here.

 

[MrTub]

I'm not a fan of piracy, but what about the people who were just using backups?

It's not legal to back up your discs. It says so right on the warranty that comes with the game. I don't have a game on me right now to write it here, but check the back of the instruction manual. It essentially says "Backing up your game isn't necessary so don't do it."

On topic, though, I lost all respect for piracy when it changed from people wanting to fight DRM and the like and oppressive play policies and such into people who just wanted to play their games and not pay for it. So this seems like a step in the right direction.

It is legal to make backups (atleast in Sweden)

 

[Dorkmaster Flek]

Doesn't that happen every time there's a dashboard update? There's always some kind of security enhancement with those updates. They usually just include some bug fixes and new features as well. If you want to crack your console, go nuts. But don't expect to get to play on XBL with the rest of us, or use the official dashboard updates.

It's not legal to back up your discs. It says so right on the warranty that comes with the game. I don't have a game on me right now to write it here, but check the back of the instruction manual. It essentially says "Backing up your game isn't necessary so don't do it."

This is most definitely not an absolute. It depends on the laws where you live. Sweeping generalized statements like "it's not legal to back up your discs, period" should be illegal.

 

[Something Amyss]

Minor software patch has totally defeated all forms of piracy forever. Reports are flooding in of every single pirate around the world committing suicide. Truly a momentous occasion that will be remembered for eternity as the day law triumphed over crime.

Don't we get a new article like this every fortnight?

Don't you people realise it's a technological arms race with no end?

Doesn't anyone realise that pirates aren't even worried because it's simply course of nature to them?

don't we get a strawman like this every time?

 

[infohippie]

I think it's a bit of a shame. I'm no fan of piracy and I buy every last one of my games, but as a PC-only gamer I feel a bit betrayed by all the devs who have abandoned the PC citing "piracy" as their reason.
I get a bit of a schadenfreude feeling when I hear about piracy on consoles. It's good to know that making console-only games ultimately won't help these studios one little bit and maybe a few will come to realise they won't lose anything by including PC in their supported platforms.

 

[tavelkyosoba]

It's not legal to back up your discs. It says so right on the warranty that comes with the game. I don't have a game on me right now to write it here, but check the back of the instruction manual. It essentially says "Backing up your game isn't necessary so don't do it."

Isn't game copying for purposes of backup covered by fair use law? Also, see the other reply. If we really are only buying a license, then surely backup copies are necessary.

The company is so supposed to provide free or low cost replacement media, and I've never heard a company NOT providing replacement media assuming proof of purchase like a sales receipt or registration. Always hang on to that stuff, doesn't take up space and can save so much effort later on. Make a folder called "game receipts" and throw it next to your taxes folder. You'll still have that shit in 30 years, guaranteed.

If you lose your windows disc, you can call Microsoft and have a new one sent to you for just the cost of shipping. "Pirates" just make up excuses to get free stuff.

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

Minor software patch has totally defeated all forms of piracy forever. Reports are flooding in of every single pirate around the world committing suicide. Truly a momentous occasion that will be remembered for eternity as the day law triumphed over crime.

Don't we get a new article like this every fortnight?

Don't you people realise it's a technological arms race with no end?

Doesn't anyone realise that pirates aren't even worried because it's simply course of nature to them?

That sounds a lot like pirate talk...
http://www.denofgeek.com/siteimage/scale/300/2000/16539.jpg

 

[midpipps]

It's not legal to back up your discs. It says so right on the warranty that comes with the game. I don't have a game on me right now to write it here, but check the back of the instruction manual. It essentially says "Backing up your game isn't necessary so don't do it."

Isn't game copying for purposes of backup covered by fair use law? Also, see the other reply. If we really are only buying a license, then surely backup copies are necessary.

The company is so supposed to provide free or low cost replacement media, and I've never heard a company NOT providing replacement media assuming proof of purchase like a sales receipt or registration. Always hang on to that stuff, doesn't take up space and can save so much effort later on. Make a folder called "game receipts" and throw it next to your taxes folder. You'll still have that shit in 30 years, guaranteed.

If you lose your windows disc, you can call Microsoft and have a new one sent to you for just the cost of shipping. "Pirates" just make up excuses to get free stuff.

Ninja'd although one more note with that it is also a good idea to either keep the owners manual with the receipt or simply staple the owners manual and receipt together because it usually has the phone numbers etc. Personally instead of a folder I keep the receipt in the game case with the owners manual and game. I like displaying the games so it I always keep the cases. If you bought more then one game at a time photo copy the receipt and put it in there. I still have playstation cases with receipts in them.

OT: Good for microsoft hope they are watching for all the copied media and getting ready for another mega ban.

 

[Delusibeta]

Minor software patch has totally defeated all forms of piracy forever. Reports are flooding in of every single pirate around the world committing suicide. Truly a momentous occasion that will be remembered for eternity as the day law triumphed over crime.

Don't we get a new article like this every fortnight?

Don't you people realise it's a technological arms race with no end?

Doesn't anyone realise that pirates aren't even worried because it's simply course of nature to them?

That sounds a lot like pirate talk...

It is also completely and utterly correct. I wouldn't be too surprised if another hack has been made for this already (although I haven't checked).

 

[JDKJ]

Doesn't that happen every time there's a dashboard update? There's always some kind of security enhancement with those updates. They usually just include some bug fixes and new features as well. If you want to crack your console, go nuts. But don't expect to get to play on XBL with the rest of us, or use the official dashboard updates.

It's not legal to back up your discs. It says so right on the warranty that comes with the game. I don't have a game on me right now to write it here, but check the back of the instruction manual. It essentially says "Backing up your game isn't necessary so don't do it."

This is most definitely not an absolute. It depends on the laws where you live. Sweeping generalized statements like "it's not legal to back up your discs, period" should be illegal.

If the law of Nation X says that making a back-up copy of a copyrighted work is infringement and a copyright holder has a legal basis to rely on that law in bringing an infringement action (e.g., they hold a copyright that was issued by Nation X), then it doesn't matter what the laws of Nations Y and Z may allow. If they bring a legal action in Nation X based on Nation X's law against an infringer who lives in Nation Y or Nation Z, it's not a defense to say that the laws of Nation Y or Nation Z don't recognize back-up copying as an infringement. The only law that'll matter is the law of Nation X.

Which is probably why no one with any interest in protecting their intellectual property from infringement bothers to get a copyright issued from any of those nations that have copyright laws which allow back-up copying and other conduct that your average owner of intellectual property would consider detrimental to their interests. They all head straight to the U.S. Copyright Office (where unauthorized copying is, with very few exceptions, considered an infringement -- and making back-up copies ain't one of those rare exceptions).

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

Minor software patch has totally defeated all forms of piracy forever. Reports are flooding in of every single pirate around the world committing suicide. Truly a momentous occasion that will be remembered for eternity as the day law triumphed over crime.

Don't we get a new article like this every fortnight?

Don't you people realise it's a technological arms race with no end?

Doesn't anyone realise that pirates aren't even worried because it's simply course of nature to them?

That sounds a lot like pirate talk...

It is also completely and utterly correct. I wouldn't be too surprised if another hack has been made for this already (although I haven't checked).

Oh yeah definitely, I was just teasing. In all seriousness, piracy's main focus is getting through security measures and obstacles to obtain these things illegally.

 

[JDKJ]

It's not legal to back up your discs. It says so right on the warranty that comes with the game. I don't have a game on me right now to write it here, but check the back of the instruction manual. It essentially says "Backing up your game isn't necessary so don't do it."

Isn't game copying for purposes of backup covered by fair use law? Also, see the other reply. If we really are only buying a license, then surely backup copies are necessary.

No, it isn't a fair use -- not under the U.S. copyright laws. There are exceptions to the general "no unauthorized copying" rule under the fair use doctrine, but those exceptions all involve a use that can benefit the public. If the use only has a private benefit, then it ain't a fair use.