Jeffrey J. Reichert, Copyright Act Violation, Ohio 2023

A Northwood, Ohio man has been found guilty of trafficking in technology designed to bypass the copyrights of video games.

Jeffrey J. Reichert, 27, was convicted after a jury returned a guilty verdict against him in connection with a one-count indictment that charged him with violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

The indictment charged that Reichert knowingly manufactured, imported, offered to the public, or otherwise trafficked in technology, products, services, devices, components or parts thereof, which were primarily designed to circumvent technological measures designed to effectively control access to a work copyrighted under Title 17 of the United States Code, for purposes of commercial advantage or private financial gain.

Specifically, the defendant was charged with trafficking in modification chips (also known as "Mod Chips") which are primarily designed to circumvent the technological measures designed into video game consoles (such as the Nintendo Wii) to prevent access to copyrighted works.

Reichert will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent on March 26, 2013, after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert W. Kern and Chelsea Rice of the Cleveland U.S. Attorney’s Office, following an investigation by the Cleveland Office of the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Reichert’s conviction marks a significant blow to the video game industry, which has long been plagued by piracy and copyright infringement.

The guilty verdict is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the investigators and prosecutors who brought this case to justice.

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