The selling of 'mod chips' for Sony PlayStation 2 consoles has been ruled illegal in Britain.

A PlayStation 2 with a modified chip can play imported or pirated copies of games, reports the BBC.


A High Court judge backed Sony's legal argument that its intellectual property was being infringed by the chips.

The ruling is thought to be one of the first brought under a controversial European Union directive on copyright.

Sony brought its case against a man called David Ball who was accused of selling about 1,500 'Messiah' mod chips.

Mr Justice Laddie ruled that Mr Ball was acting illegally in selling the chips which get around the built-in copy protection system on Sony's console.

As well as declaring the sale of the mod chips illegal, Mr Laddie said that the use, advertising or possession of them for commercial purposes should be considered illegal too.