PSP Pirate Arrested

When we hear of domestic piracy arrests, it usually concerns the DS, and occasionally the Wii. Now Sony is in the spotlight with a recent arrest involving the PSP.

According to the Association of Copyright for Computer Software (ACCS), Hyogo Prefectural Police yesterday (May 24) arrested a 45-year-old unemployed man from Hiroshima on copyright infringement surrounding the sale of PSP hardware and software. The man made sets consisting of modded PSP hardware and copied PSP software available for sale through internet auction sites.

The specific charge against the man concerns one particular instance from June of last year, when the man sold a modded PSP system along with a Memory Stick containing copies of Dynasty Warriors Strike Force, Dissidia Final Fantasy, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, Sengoku Basara Battle Heroes and Tales of the World Radiant Mythology 2 to a man in Tokyo. The total price of the transaction was ¥20,000.

Police conducted a search of the man's home and confiscated a personal computer, a Memory Stick, a bank book, and other items. The man has acknowledged the wrongdoing.

According to ACCS, this is the first time someone has been arrested in Japan for selling copied PSP software.