Nintendo Vs Pirates: Ninja Conspiracy?
This is the most explicit anti-piracy press release of its kind that I've seen: today Nintendo detailed profiles of six countries that are flagrant hotbeds of piracy for Nintendo, owing to poor legal protection for video game products. Specifically, Nintendo notes a rise in Wii and DS piracy over the past year, with so-called "circumvention devices" such as game copiers and mod chips.
China remains the epicenter of all things shady (see "Ninja Conspiracy"), and is joined on the list by the Republic of Korea, Brazil, Paraguay, Mexico and Spain. Nintendo details the specifics of each country's offenses and risks, such as the alarming availability of game-copying devices in Spain or Mexico's "wholly inadequate" anti-piracy actions in 2008.
Nintendo goes on to remind parents that children who use such devices may be "exposed to unsuitable content downloaded from the internet and played on their Nintendo systems," which while syntactically correct may, in reality, be a bit of a stretch. (ie, it's probably fair to call illegally copied games 'unsuitable,' but your kids are also probably safe from the mind-altering effects of playing a bootleg copy of Daigasso! Band Brothers).
The message from Nintendo comes as part of its annual comments to the US Trade Representative under the "Special 301" process, and is more than just a rant: Nintendo wants help from the US to combat piracy in these locations. Besides the whole "it's illegal" part, which is certainly important on its own, even Nintendo needs to cut down on shrinkage. And from the scope of the description, Nintendo's shrinkage problem is considerable.
PRESS RELEASE
NINTENDO ASKS U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE TO HELP COMBAT GLOBAL VIDEO GAME PIRACY
Nintendo Calls Out Brazil, China, Korea, Mexico, Paraguay and Spain
REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 25, 2009 - Nintendo has outlined a list of countries around the globe that remain leaders in denying adequate and effective protection of video game products. In its annual comments to the U.S. Trade Representative under the "Special 301" process, Nintendo has singled out countries where piracy is rampant and has asked the United States to take further steps to combat it.
Nintendo reports that piracy of its most popular products, the Nintendo DS™ and Wii™ systems, has increased during the year. Nintendo attributes this increase to the availability of circumvention devices, such as "game copiers" and "mod chips." These devices skirt the product security embedded in Nintendo's famous products and enable the play of illegal Nintendo software.
"It is important for parents to note that if users of circumvention devices are children, they may be exposed to unsuitable content downloaded from the Internet and played on their Nintendo systems," said Jodi Daugherty, Nintendo of America's senior director of anti-piracy.
Below is a summary of Nintendo's filing:
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA: China continues to be the hub of production for counterfeit Nintendo video game products. The number of online shopping sites in China selling infringing Nintendo products is increasing, and help is needed by the government to curtail the growth of these illegal marketplaces. These products are sold both inside China and to the world, including our key market in the United States. Chinese customs officials must stop shipments of game copiers and other infringing products out of China, and China should work in the coming year to eliminate barriers to its enforcement laws.
REPUBLIC OF KOREA: Internet piracy in Korea continues to increase, as does the availability of devices that get around product security and allow for the play of illegal Nintendo software. A massive customs raid of 10 premises that resulted in the seizure of more than 75,000 game copiers at the beginning of 2009 is a positive sign the government is serious about enforcement. Nintendo is pleased with Korea's consistent customs seizures, and courts are now starting to hold distributors of circumvention devices, such as game copiers, accountable. The Korea-U.S. free trade agreement is important to all intellectual property rights holders.
BRAZIL: Federal anti-piracy actions are not reducing piracy in Brazil, and local enforcement efforts are weak. Efforts to prosecute for piracy are virtually nonexistent. Customs and border control agents failed to seize a single shipment of Nintendo video game products in Brazil in 2008. Internet piracy is increasing with no legal infrastructure in place to respond to the threat it poses to rights holders. High tariffs and taxes also constitute market barriers for legitimate video game products.
MEXICO: Anti-piracy actions by the Mexican government in 2008 were wholly inadequate. The Mexican government must recognize the seriousness of the piracy problem and start using existing enforcement tools. Mexico's participation in negotiating the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement is encouraging, but enforcement efforts need to move forward now. The willingness of Mexican customs and Mexican postal service workers to be trained by trademark owners was a positive sign in 2008.
SPAIN: The availability of game-copying devices in Spain is alarming. Internet sites offering game-copying devices and illegal Nintendo software are widespread and must be addressed. Nintendo asks that the Spanish government implement laws protecting the creative copyright industry and enact laws against Internet piracy. Nintendo considers education a priority in its fight against piracy in the European Union. Customs authorities play an important role in enforcing intellectual property rights, and Nintendo is seeing positive signs in this area. Nintendo is pleased about recent steps taken by the Spanish National Police against distributors of game copiers.
PARAGUAY: Corruption continues to hamper anti-piracy efforts. Nintendo's anti-piracy actions in Paraguay show that illegal goods are imported and also locally produced. Border controls are key to decreasing piracy, and the revised criminal code will increase penalties against those distributing circumvention devices in Paraguay.
For more information about Nintendo, visit www.Nintendo.com.
tiny dancer
Posted to Hot Stuff, Miscellany on 25 February 2009
· Comments (3)
Other stuff like this: nintendo, piracy, us trade representative
The only country that really surprises me on this list is South Korea, only because I don't really remember seeing much piracy when I was there 2 years ago. Perhaps things have changed since then.
China shouldn't surprise anyone. (What WON'T they pirate?) What I was most surprised about when I visited China was that there were tons of DS bootleg cartridges, but all the PSP games (at least, those you could find) were legitimate -- Playing copied games from the Pro Duo card was so easy that nobody even bothered making fake UMDs.
I don't see why Nintendo is asking the U.S. for help in stopping piracy in FOREIGN countries.
The U.S. isn't the world police. Also, the U.S. AND Japan welcomed China into the WTO a decade ago with open arms and dollar signs.
It was very profitable to ship their manufacturing over there. Now that China has repeatedly experessed no intentions of upholding copyright laws, in violation of the WTO agreement, I don't see why they bother complaining anymore.
You can't have it both ways. Either you sanction China and stand up for your IP, which means cutting into your profits. Or sit there and make boat loads of profits and allow people to run wild with your IP.
Obviously their IP isn't worth the cost of manufacturing in the U.S. or Japan.
From what I understand, games in those South American countries cost a lot more comparatively than they do in 1st world countries. They should also try and do something about that as well if they want to convince (poor)people to actually buy their games.
I am a little surprised that Canada isn't on there. True this is only because I have purchased 2 flash carts and they have both come from Canada. I assume they don't manufacture them, but I bet they don't really have any problems selling them.
On a side note, I just helped my boyfriend get his Slot 2 cart working so he could play Mother 3 on his DS. It was cute when I finally got it working. He was sooooooo happy.