ISONews.com busted -- domain redirected to DOJ

One of the biggest institution in so-called "warez scene", ISONews.com, has been busted by the FBI and in rather controversial move, the domain name now points to Department of Justice's servers.

According to DOJ, ISONews.com was charged because it sold modchips for XBox and PS2 through its site -- which is actually slightly bizarre claim, since as far as most people have pointed out, they actually just had advertisements of other companies' modchip sites running on their site.



Anyway, the site's owner, 22-year-old David Rocci, has pleaded guilty in December to charges against him under the controversial DMCA law. The discussion on the real ISONews.com site continues, but the access to the site can be achieved only by using the direct IP address of the site. The site was popular because it listed all the latest piracy releases available in the newsgroups -- although nothing could be downloaded from the site itself. You can visit their site here.

Source: News.com

Written by: Petteri Pyyny @ 27 Feb 2003 1:15
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  • 14 comments

  • Rodgers

    I'm bewildered by this news and it is incomprehensible to me how the factual matter, as it is presumably known, has relevancy to the controversial DMCA law. Please enlighten me.

    Regards to All,
    Rodgers

    27.2.2003 08:22 #1

  • Dela

    selling modchips?? that has to be the worst excuse ever!! My question is, is vcdquality.com gone aswell??

    Afterdawn is run by great people who have ran this site perfectly for 3 years helping literally millions of people. The price of running this web site is very high so please visit some sponsors or consider a donation!

    27.2.2003 08:38 #2

  • Rodgers

    Not selling chips, but people advertising on this site the availability of chips! Here in America they call it Freedom of the Press.

    Rodgers

    27.2.2003 09:10 #3

  • Bladestor

    This is one of the most ridiculous things i've heard in a while. Things like this are why I question being american.

    27.2.2003 10:04 #4

  • Vukovar

    This is unbelievable. My reading of the DMCA doesn't indicate that linking or advertising for hacks, et al. is illegal under that convoluted law. Nor was I aware that having a bbs talking about pirated software, games etc. was illegal either in any regard. What do you charge someone with - aiding and abetting? Christ. Does that mean that anyone with a website that talks about easter eggs needs to be careful since that might be interpreted as reverse-engineering someone's software? What about Windows registry hacks? This is exactly why I rip DVD's and share them and distribute software to whoever wants it - if it puts a dent in these morons pockets, great. Maybe someday they'll come to their senses.

    27.2.2003 11:18 #5

  • brettussd

    Yep, it's shite like this that just makes me wanna warez even more. Hack the planet!

    "Cry havoc! Let slip the dogs of war!" -- Julius Caeser

    27.2.2003 14:15 #6

  • seamonkey

    hmm..
    i hope my site's aren't next...

    peace
    seamonkey420

    'knowledge is power, spread the power'
    -Athlon XP 2000+, 740MB DDR-SDRAM,HP DVD200i DVD+R/+RW, 100GB and 60GB WD HD
    -XBOX w/Matrix mod chip and 60GB HDD
    http://www.geocities.com/daseamonkey420 or
    http://www.geocities.com/seamonkeyguides

    27.2.2003 16:34 #7

  • Dela

    Well I don't care as long as vcdquality is ok =)

    Afterdawn is run by great people who have ran this site perfectly for 3 years helping literally millions of people. The price of running this web site is very high so please visit some sponsors or consider a donation!

    27.2.2003 17:32 #8

  • SpeciesX

    Yeah I think this guy David Rocci should get nominated 4 the Darwin Awards 4 being done in by the FBI dont these FEDS know laws r meant 2 be broken.

    1.3.2003 04:37 #9

  • Rodgers

    Hmmm....Think of this, if everyone was as honest and you and I, there would be no need for the FBI!

    lol,
    Rodgers

    1.3.2003 06:17 #10

  • muz0169

    I am pretty sure Krazy8 was actually selling the chips. They sold the neo series chips for the ps2 from neotechnologies on more then one occasion, usually buying masses from neo and reselling.

    4.3.2003 18:46 #11

  • se7enlust

    They did occasionally sell chips on the site and where they got nailed was not for selling the chips themselves, but "apparently" they had some proprietary M$ lines of code in them. One way or the other, just an example of how big business carries the government in their back pocket.

    4.3.2003 21:32 #12

  • Dela

    Ye but its obvious why they bothered to bust isonews!

    5.3.2003 01:27 #13

  • ReaSer

    my question is this

    isnt that a violation of the 1995 internet privacy act signed by bill clinton??

    3.6.2003 08:28 #14

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