Nearly two years after French courts ruled in favor of Nintendo DS flash cartridge sellers, it appears that prosecutors have won their appeal. The Paris Court of Appeals has ruled against Divineo and five other companies responsible for selling devices similar to the R4, which allow users to run unofficial code (pirated games included) on the Nintendo DS.
In its statement (PDF), Nintendo revealed that the companies have been charged over €460,000 in criminal fines, as well as over €4.8 million in damages to Nintendo. The company didn’t offer specifics, though the ruling included some suspended prison sentences as well. Nintendo unsurprisingly cheered the news, noting that the decision “represents a strong message to French companies dealing in these devices, that such activities are illegal and will not be tolerated.” The company also took a moment to thank law enforcement agencies that took part in raids to confiscate the devices in question (something Nintendo has gotten quite adept at over the years).
The victory comes as part of Nintendo’s ever vigilant campaign against piracy, which has seen lawsuits everywhere from Australia to New York, with some cases leading to similar nationwide bans. Nintendo has also stopped eBay and Amazon from selling flash carts, and has even enlisted the aid of its own customers.
And, most important of all, the company has inspired a Joystiq’s Baby Pirates comic series, which is now teetering on the brink of irrelevancy. Thanks, Nintendo.
French court bans DS ‘game copier’ devices originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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