While the PSP is not region free for UMD movies, it is region free for the games. You can import games without using a hacked firmware(which I have done in order to get Parodius Portable). The only real use of the hacked firmware is to allow for 2 things, the first being the ability to run homebrew code and the second to run pirated copies of games. The majority of hacked firmware PSP owners will tell you they do it for the former, but nearly all of them really do it for the latter. Personally, I own one and don't have it hacked because it seems an awful lot of trouble just to save myself the 10 or 15 bucks that most used games cost on the thing. I wouldn't mind having the ability to play some emulators on it, but that's about all the use I could see getting out of hacking it. My big question about the PSP Go is how I'm supposed to play all my UMD games on the new system. I wonder if it will come with an external UMD drive for loading games onto the internal memory or if they intend for you to have both a PSP Go and an older PSP for loading your games.

I don't agree, but I see no point in continuing this. A debate on slash dot will not resolve this anyway. The right or denial of such right is not specifically handled by the constitution for this situation. Historically in those cases the government continues on as if it has the right, whether you like it or not. And the only thing that can remove that right is a trip to the supreme court. Now whether you agree with me or not, that is what is going to happen. And it's my belief that this will be deemed legal since you have no expectation of privacy on a public road. I could certainly be wrong about that though, and I'd guess we both hope for that.