Many true techno geeks mod equipment to make the item do something different that what it was originally designed for. Unfortunately some of these same mods allow the same machines to circumvent copyright protection. Companies go the extra mile to make it difficult to mod equipment. In the 10 or so years I have been traveling overseas I can tell it has been a futile effort as you can by mod kits as easy as a Coca Cola. The debate continues if the practice is illegal. Selling them in the US definitely is as prosecution of resellers have resulted in prison terms. [MIT Technology Review]