Mon Dieu! French Court Deals Yet Another Blow to Games Piracy
Voulez-vous jouer avec moi, c'est soir?
Avast, Orlando! Have ye played Gears 3 yet, ye scurvy dog?
France is coming down hard on the subject of game piracy with the announcement that the provision and supply of R4 carts (and other devices like them) is now officially illegal in La Republique. The Paris Court of Appeal has today thrown out a case brought by six companies looking to have the ban overturned.
The DS carts, when coupled with a memory card, have the capability of holding multiple games that can be easily downloaded from various nefarious sites. The companies have been ordered to pay 460,000 Euro in fines and nearly 5 million more in damages to Nintendo; some people involved in the distribution have also been given suspended prison sentences.
It's a pretty major step in the fight against piracy and one that Nintendo is quick to praise. Stephan Bole, the MD of its French arm, said that the company "supported this action not only for the company’s sake, but for the interests of its game developer partners who spend time and money legitimately developing software." And to make sure that people pay for the games, Stephan. Come on, be honest.
Supplying the devices is now illegal in many European countries but ownership isn't. Worse still, getting your hands on the game files is easier than ever. It seems that the pirates will always find a way to slip through the net as the technology consistently moves quicker than the law. Will the industry ever catch up?
The DS carts, when coupled with a memory card, have the capability of holding multiple games that can be easily downloaded from various nefarious sites. The companies have been ordered to pay 460,000 Euro in fines and nearly 5 million more in damages to Nintendo; some people involved in the distribution have also been given suspended prison sentences.
It's a pretty major step in the fight against piracy and one that Nintendo is quick to praise. Stephan Bole, the MD of its French arm, said that the company "supported this action not only for the company’s sake, but for the interests of its game developer partners who spend time and money legitimately developing software." And to make sure that people pay for the games, Stephan. Come on, be honest.
Supplying the devices is now illegal in many European countries but ownership isn't. Worse still, getting your hands on the game files is easier than ever. It seems that the pirates will always find a way to slip through the net as the technology consistently moves quicker than the law. Will the industry ever catch up?
Companies:
Nintendo
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