Cops Arrest Man For Selling Modded Wiis

Police in the city of Hino have arrested a 53-year-old self employed man on copyright violations stemming from his attempts to sell pirated software and modified hardware capable of playing it.

From January 6 through March 19, the suspect sold three modified Wii systems and 8 DVD-R8 discs to two men in Tokyo. Included on the discs were such titles as Animal Crossing City Folk, One Piece Unlimited Cruise Episode 2, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Echoes of Time and Resident Evil. The suspect received ¥97,000 for the lot.

Police report that the man started selling copied games two years ago. Buyers could go through internet auction sites and pick up a modified Wii system with a copied game on DVD-R included as a bonus, all for around ¥32,000 (the standard Wii goes for ¥20,000). In two years, the man reached sales of ¥3 million.

During an investigation of the man's house, police confiscated 6 modified Wii systems, 300 DVD-Rs, a PC and other items.

According to an Inside Games report on the incident, the suspect has been sent to Tokyo for further processing. He has admitted to the crime, saying that he was hoping to make some additional money.