Revisions in Japanese Law Make Save Data Editing, Console Modding Illegal

The examples given in the revisions of acts that constitute a disruption of the “effect of technological restrictive measures” include the distribution of tools or programs that can modify save data, the act of editing save data, modifying game consoles or offering services to modify game consoles, selling software authentication codes via net auction, or the publication of unauthorized serial codes via the Internet.

The new definition includes the offering and/or distribution of tools or programs that can modify save data, as well as modifying game consoles.

The Japanese government’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced its revisions to the Unfair Competition Prevention Act on December 6 that included expanded definitions of what constitutes “unfair competition.”