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Developments of Note

By Julian S. Millstein, Edward A. Pisacreta and Jeffrey D. Neuburger

Justice Department seizes Mod Chip site after DMCA guilty plea

On Feb. 26, the Justice Department assumed control of the Web site iSONEWS.com, whose former owner, David M. Rocci, pleaded guilty in federal court in December to conspiring to import, market and sell circumvention devices known as modification, or 'mod' chips, in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The government said mod chips are designed to circumvent copyright protections built into game consoles such as Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's Playstation 2, and allow users to play illegally copied games. Mod chip sellers have been the target of international anti-piracy efforts, but this case is reportedly the first mod chip prosecution under the DMCA. Rocci was scheduled to be sentenced this month in the Eastern District of Virginia.


FTC settles COPPA charges with Mrs. Fields Cookies, Hershey Foods

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