More Wikipedia shenanigans… this time from the ESA

More Wikipedia-edit shenanigans have come to light — and this time the culprit is the Entertainment Software Association.

Using Wikipedia Scanner, GamePolitics.com has uncovered changes to the Wikipedia modchip entry, made from behind the ESA firewall.

Before:

“The legality of modchips in the United States is ambiguous. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) does not mention modchips in particular, but some may interpret the meaning of the law as stating that modchips are illegal because many are made specifically to circumvent the copy-protection features of their host systems. During the rise of Modchips for the original PlayStation, and prior to the DMCA, various import game dealers introduced a so-called ”anti-piracy” or ”good” Modchip, which was further developed to allow playback of import games, but not burned game discs.

After:

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) cites that circumvention devices, including, but not limited to mod-chips, are illegal, because the device circumvents the copy-protection features of their host systems.

Before:

As of October 2005, the Australian High Court is the first ‘highest court of appeal’ to consider anti-circumvention laws. The DMCA hasn’t yet reached the US Supreme Court; nor have such laws reached the House of Lords in the UK. As of October 2005, the Australian High Court is the first ‘highest court of appeal’ to consider anti-circumvention laws.

The legality of modchips is often debated because they bring both illegal and legal benefits to the user. Games and programs developed for the community free of charge (Homebrew) cannot be run on protected consoles without a modchip, despite the fact they are being run within their license; and, Video games and DVDs purchased overseas and imported locally are often a quicker way for the consumer to enjoy those titles. Sometimes imported copies can also be cheaper than a given country’s local release of the same title. Many games are only released in one region, and cannot be enjoyed by overseas players without importing.

After:

As of October 2005, the Australian High Court is the first ‘highest court of appeal’ to consider anti-circumvention laws.

The ESA also edited an entry about abandonware; the agency’s position is that all abandonware is illegal.