Microsoft might pull the xbox...

[Mercury]

In Australia.

http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories...895274,00.html

I for one hope they do if those idiots there don't play ball. Mod chips are being legalized.

[KviK]

I could care less.

[Game_Geek]

At least MS is taking steps to prevent piracy

[EHWfedPres]

at least this shows that Microsoft cares about the Xbox.

[Evil_Dr_Beefy]

It doesn't matter....if microsoft pulls the xbox from australia. (but, i wish they would sit down and talk about it) They would just import them. Still, i wonder if microsoft is powerful enough to change the laws in other countries.

[Sodge]

Well, they did shut down Lik-Sang so who really knows.

I think the fact that Australia openly sells mod-chips is odd. I mean, they're isolated so I guess they think they can get away with it or something. Heh, not on Microsoft's watch!

[BCan]

I posted in another thread, that this case was bought up, or is related to one by the ACCC, who believed the regioning of software, hardware etc is restraint of trade, restricting consumer choice of where to buy things.

[evil xbox king]

WTF is wrong with the ACCC? and WTF is wrong with you guys? There are people just like you that live in Australia. We're not freaks, and we do like our games, so please could you care a bit more- Would you say that your happy that MS is making a stand if they took Xbox off the market in US and Canada?

[Sodge]

Microsoft wouldn't think of pulling the Xbox from the North American market because it would hurt them way too much (sales-wise of course).

[Leviathon]

Doesn't surprise me that some liberal Judge has decided that it is ok to steal.

[GokuX]

Yeah that'd be suicide to pull the Xbox from North America. Australia well......

[kachingtensor]

If this ruling is allowed to stand, I can see World Court lawsuits and (justified) trade reprisals against the current Australian government.

But I don't believe MS will pull Xbox out of Oz. Too many good parties...

[EHWfedPres]

Originally posted by Leviathon
Doesn't surprise me that some liberal Judge has decided that it is ok to steal.

Well im going to go download a cd now...

[OZXboxAddict]

Originally posted by BCan
I posted in another thread, that this case was bought up, or is related to one by the ACCC, who believed the regioning of software, hardware etc is restraint of trade, restricting consumer choice of where to buy things.

Got it in one! They don't want to legalise piracy or as some idiot put it, allow for 'stealing'. They want to stop restrictive trading and allow people to use purchased media no matter what region its coded to. People talk about NTSC and PAL blah blah but the real reason is so that companies can ensure they squeeze every cents out of distribution whilst maintaining or not maintaing regional copyright for the distribution In the case of MS, they are the main distributor and often take out the copywright in countries to where small distributors and developers cannot afford to carry their product when considered viable. If we could just import from Japan etc they would lose a piece the pie. But if we could and it was playable without country coding then I would be able to import games that don't get picked up regional distributors who think they couldn't make enough importing it. I see more money this way anyway because games that weren't taken to certain regions would be able to still increase sales through importation.

No company is big enough to change government legislation by a form of exhortion "change your laws or we are pulling out!?" At the end of the day 'every' region is important to the XB if its to suceed and Australia has had one of the best 'pick up' rate out of all countries launched.