Modded Xbox 360 consoles can be legally banned from Xbox Live says Microsoft, in the face of legal threats in the states. Does it have the right to kick modded Xbox 360s out? Read on, and get up to speed on the debate.
A series of lawsuits have been launched against Microsoft after it banned a raft of modified Xbox 360 consoles from Xbox Live. However, Microsoft says everyone should calm down and read the fine print of their service agreement.
According to its terms of use, Microsoft says it is: “well within [our] legal rights to ban users from Xbox Live.” In other words, those moaning about the ban can zip it.
One law firm, AlbingtonIP, announced last month that it is considering a lawsuit against Microsoft following the bans. It argues that they were carefully timed by Microsoft to coincide with the launch of Halo 3: ODST and Modern Warfare 2 to increase subscriptions to Xbox Live.
Given that Modern Warfare 2 and Halo are exactly the sort of flagship games pirates love to target, it makes sense that Microsoft might be banning more modded Xbox 360s then, doesn’t it? Are we going in circles, or is Microsoft really doing the right thing?
[...] patent for an Xbox 360 hint system submitted by Andre Vrignaud, Microsoft’s Director of Games Platform Strategy, [...]