Nintendo doesn’t play around when it comes to their IPs. It was just a few years ago that they won $12.2 million from a couple of rom and emulator sites. Those sites were hosting roms of games that were hard to get a hold of. Games for the Nintendo, Super Nintendo and so-on. Now they are focusing their attention on a pirate ring that involves their newest console, the Switch.
Gary Bowser (incredible name, obviously) is being sued for selling hacking devices for the Nintendo Switch. The devices allow users to play pirated software and overrides the built in security settings on the console. As it stands now your account is connected to your purchases. This device makes it so anyone can play anything. The security check to validate if you are the owner of the software is overridden.
There are people that think that keeping games available will bring longevity to their lifespan. For instance some of the games that used to be available on the old emulator and rom sites were never ported to the current consoles. A lot of the Japanese games that never saw the light of day in America were able to be played. But since taking them down they’ve been lost again unless Nintendo plans on making them available in the future.
The problem with this current lawsuit isn’t that the games are at risk of being lost. It’s that they are being downloaded illegally while they are very much available. And the team behind the hacking devices are a for profit company and are making money off of this.
Arrested Before
Bowser, a member of Team Xecuter, has been distributing Switch hacking devices. Gary and his companion Max Louarn head the hacking team. They were both arrested and charged arrested and charged with 11 felony counts in 2020.
“These defendants were allegedly leaders of a notorious international criminal group that reaped illegal profits for years by pirating video game technology of U.S. companies. These arrests show that the department will hold accountable hackers who seek to commandeer and exploit the intellectual property of American companies for financial gain, no matter where they may be located.”
Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division
“These defendants lined their pockets by stealing and selling the work of other video-game developers – even going so far as to make customers pay a licensing fee to play stolen games. This conduct doesn’t just harm billion dollar companies, it hijacks the hard work of individuals working to advance in the video-game industry.”
U.S. Attorney Brian Moran for the Western District of Washington
Will Nintendo Win?
Since Nintendo has been spearheading lawsuits to protect their games and have been consistently winning we believe that they will win this case. Bowser albeit a funny name to have in this situation will be brought down. It’s just a matter of how much they will be granted in the settlement. You can read the whole case document here.
