Banned Xbox Live Users Class Action Investigation

[docwarbucks]

Banned Xbox Live Users Class Action Investigation
>> Abington IP, a law firm specialising in consumer class actions posted this on their website

An investigation is currently being conducted regarding business practices of Microsoft with respect to its recent cancellation of certain modified Xbox consoles for use with Xbox Live.

As has been reported widely in the media, tens of thousands of Xbox owners have had their modified Xbox consoles banned from Microsoft's online gaming service Xbox Live. Although modification of Xbox consoles is against the terms of use for Xbox/Xbox Live, Microsoft "conveniently" timed the Xbox console ban to occur just after the release of the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 game and less than two months after the release of the very popular Halo 3: ODST game. This "convenient" timing may have resulted in more Xbox Live subscription revenues for Microsoft than it would have generated had these Xbox console bans taken place at some time before the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Halo 3: ODST. Additionally, sales of both Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (published by Activision) and Halo 3: ODST (published by Microsoft Game Studios) would likely have been greatly diminished had the Xbox console ban occurred prior to the release of these games.

If you are an Xbox Live subscriber, had your modified Xbox console banned from Xbox Live, were not refunded a prorated sum for the time left on your subscription, and would like to participate in a class action against Microsoft, please submit your information below.

[/quote]

Like to Join? http://www.abingtonlaw.com/Xbox-Live-class-action.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[CoFree]

Hmmmmm

[chris.redfield]

hhhmmmmm indeed...

[he-man]

I am not sure how can you "break the law" by altering your console's firmware and then sue the company when you get caught out The terms and conditions does stae clearly that you should not tamper with the console, etc

Very interesting, looking forward to see how this turns out....

[CoFree]

imo
where they crossed the line was breaking the console "in a way"
when they changed things in the console that was made by me and had nothing to do with them other than being on a console i bought from them.
Messing up games saves that are in not part theirs.They had no business doing that

[docwarbucks]

crippling the hard drive. Beleive it or not alot of people have bought used consoles without prior knowledge they were modded. they got banned then no refund. how about all the people buying xbox's at walmart that were switch out with banned ones. I had a customer come in yesterday that bought four used xbox's from gamestop that were all banned and another customer that bought a brand new one from walmart that was a switch out and he was already banned and told to kiss off from walmart and microsoft. The more people that join the lawsuit can hold them up from any future bans for a long time. Also it sounds funny suing a company after they catch disabling there security but this is America and in this country we sue everyone for everything no matter how idiotic it is.

[he-man]

how about all the people buying xbox's at walmart that were switch out with banned ones

That's why I do feel sorry for the people that bought swapped out console and for this very reason I would never swap the guts if/when I get banned.

But how do you proof that you bought a pre-banned console? We all know it takes less than 10 minutes to flash a console when you know what you're doing.

Also it sounds funny suing a company after they catch disabling there security but this is America and in this country we sue everyone for everything no matter how idiotic it is.

...like they say, only in America

[docwarbucks]

the site just updated it's page they added

Additional *reported* problems resulting from the bans include, but are not necessarily limited to:
* Disabling/altering Xbox functionality *NOT* associated with Xbox Live or piracy (HDD functionality for example);
* Disabling/altering Xbox functionality *NOT* associated with piracy (Netflix, game add-ons, misic, and arcade games for example);
* Obtaining information from Xbox consoles without permission of the owner;
* Other problems/consequenses associated with these bans have been reported here and elsewhere.

[Dias]

Or getting banned from Xbox live...and then your subscription auto renews...

Just happened to me.

lol

[docwarbucks]

sign up i bet they will stop banning during a 100 million dollar lawsuit

[Shootsteel]

ISSUES

1. Some/not all systems no longer will connect via lan line(to play local games).

2. inability to connect to your computer for pics, vids, music, ect...

They do not have the right to in effect come into my house with a sophisticated hammer to break my lan line....I get it I should not be entitled to XBOX live as I broke the rules as they wrote them but to have them disable functions not associated to XBOX live is nothing short of criminal. Not withstanding on the face it is civilly liable at the very least. I would have no problem in the least to stand in judgment for what my actions are/were.

I purchased the system/games with MY money that I play .... I can/should be able to/will continue to do with them as I please...including rewriting the code on the machine I OWN and making backups as I dang well please.

SORRY M$ YOU DO NOT RETAIN PART OWNERSHIP IN MY SYSTEM

IMO true backups are not criminal.

[CoFree]

ISSUES

1. Some/not all systems no longer will connect via lan line(to play local games).

2. inability to connect to your computer for pics, vids, music, ect...

They do not have the right to in effect come into my house with a sophisticated hammer to break my lan line....I get it I should not be entitled to XBOX live as I broke the rules as they wrote them but to have them disable functions not associated to XBOX live is nothing short of criminal. Not withstanding on the face it is civilly liable at the very least. I would have no problem in the least to stand in judgment for what my actions are/were.

I purchased the system/games with MY money that I play .... I can/should be able to/will continue to do with them as I please...including rewriting the code on the machine I OWN and making backups as I dang well please.

SORRY M$ YOU DO NOT RETAIN PART OWNERSHIP IN MY SYSTEM

IMO true backups are not criminal.

well said
my friend

[HaGGardSmurf]

ISSUES

1. Some/not all systems no longer will connect via lan line(to play local games).

2. inability to connect to your computer for pics, vids, music, ect...

They do not have the right to in effect come into my house with a sophisticated hammer to break my lan line....I get it I should not be entitled to XBOX live as I broke the rules as they wrote them but to have them disable functions not associated to XBOX live is nothing short of criminal. Not withstanding on the face it is civilly liable at the very least. I would have no problem in the least to stand in judgment for what my actions are/were.

I purchased the system/games with MY money that I play .... I can/should be able to/will continue to do with them as I please...including rewriting the code on the machine I OWN and making backups as I dang well please.

SORRY M$ YOU DO NOT RETAIN PART OWNERSHIP IN MY SYSTEM

IMO true backups are not criminal.

100% agree with you here man, I have absolutely no problem accepting the fact I cannot play online with that console, the thing that pisses me off is my console is crippled... My profile gets corrupted if used on the console, I cant use MCE, lan is crippled, I am unable to play games I PURCHASED from the marketplace, I am unable to install games to my HDD...

All those features have absolutely nothing to do with live, and should not have been destroyed.

I hope something is done, and these features are restored, or a 'hack' is released to bypass the ban and be able to use the features again, or roll your console back to before it knew it was banned. (of course you will not be able to connect to live, as your console id is blacklisted...)

[conan281]

ISSUES

1. Some/not all systems no longer will connect via lan line(to play local games).

2. inability to connect to your computer for pics, vids, music, ect...

They do not have the right to in effect come into my house with a sophisticated hammer to break my lan line....I get it I should not be entitled to XBOX live as I broke the rules as they wrote them but to have them disable functions not associated to XBOX live is nothing short of criminal. Not withstanding on the face it is civilly liable at the very least. I would have no problem in the least to stand in judgment for what my actions are/were.

I purchased the system/games with MY money that I play .... I can/should be able to/will continue to do with them as I please...including rewriting the code on the machine I OWN and making backups as I dang well please.

SORRY M$ YOU DO NOT RETAIN PART OWNERSHIP IN MY SYSTEM

IMO true backups are not criminal.

This is very true God Bless to everyone that is going through hard times with this