Nintendo Seeks U.S. Assistance in Anti-Piracy Efforts

[Andy Chalk]

Nintendo Seeks U.S. Assistance in Anti-Piracy Efforts

Following a Nintendo [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/81380-ESA-Says-Canada-a-Persistent-Problem-in-Fight-Against-Piracy]has submitted its own request for assistance against piracy through a "Special 301" process with the U.S. Trade Representative.

Nintendo asked the Trade Representative to encourage other governments to take a stronger stance against software piracy, which it claims cost the gaming giant nearly $1 billion in lost revenue in 2007 alone. The filing stated that China is still the primary manufacturer of pirated DS [http://www.wii.com]games, while Korea has become the number one internet distributor of illegal software. Paraguay and Hong Kong were singled out as major international distribution points for illegal products, while Brazil and Mexico are "saturated" with pirated Nintendo software despite the company's aggressive efforts in those countries.

"The unprecedented momentum enjoyed by Nintendo DS and Wii make Nintendo an attractive target for counterfeiters," said Jodi Daugherty, senior director of anti-piracy at Nintendo of America. "We estimate that in 2007, Nintendo, together with its publishers and developers, suffered nearly $975 million worldwide in lost sales as a result of piracy. Nintendo will continue to work with governments around the world to aggressively curtail this illegal activity."

The 2007 Special 301 [http://www.ustr.gov/] report, including Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Canada.


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[The Q]

Is this a question of piracy or is this a question of secure architecture? Should Nintendo spend time seeing that, for example, the DS cannot be so easily "hacked?" I know many, many people, that haven't bought DS games in quite some time, because for under a hundred bucks they have the means by which to download the games and play them. They've turned their DS's into multi media devices: music, movies and games. But...I have to wonder, is it the ease of such actions that bring about the execution of such actions?

 

[[HD]Rob Inglis]

Stop people who steal shit. They are jerks, and I want Nintendo to have the money to improve their technology. Piracy is bad, you dicks better shell out money for the reall thing, and not ruin it for the rest of us.

 

[i_am_undead]

I don't think that any anti-piracy efforts would affect the sales of Nintendo licensed crap like "American Girl: Julie Finds a way" and the recent "BOld" titles for thw wii, like "Rig Racer 2" and "Classic British Motor Racing 2" (neither of which had first editions to constitute a "2").

Whatever happened to the "Nintendo seal of quality," anyway? Maybe if they would quit licensing crap that wasn't worth a penny then people would stop stealing it. For now, I'm glad playing "Disgaea" and "Monster Hunter Freedom 2" on my PSP legally, because they rock.

 

[Murian]

I see they want to cover both physical and digital pirate copies. I guess their aggressive efforts in Brazil and Mexico mean that in those regions it's easier to get a pirate copy than a real one. I've experienced this firsthand...albeit over a decade ago and in a different region...

But...I have to wonder, is it the ease of such actions that bring about the execution of such actions?

I have no doubt that that is a factor in regard to the homebrew stuff. It does open a bit of a grey area though, since everything that allows what could be argued as perfectly legitimate means of getting the most of your money opens the doors to piracy. It would just depend on a person's motive for aquiring such equipment.

Example: I got my brother an imported US PS2 game that had some good reviews that had made him want to play it, but was never released in Europe. The only way he would be able to play it was by using means that allowed him to also run copied games, in fact, that's what it was primarily made for. He probably never will. I like the fact that Sony rectified this in the PSP and PS3, as it means I won't ever have to mod or use unofficial firmware for my PSP.

I only know of two people who use the homebrew DS cards, one for games not available in the region and the other for all the homebrew stuff, but also checking out games he might otherwise never touch by downloading them.

 

[Lampdevil]

Whatever happened to the "Nintendo seal of quality," anyway?

Maybe you're glimpsing at the past through rose-tinted glasses, but the "Nintendo Seal of Quality" didn't actually mean that a game was any good. It just meant that the developer paid Nintendo for the right to make the game, that it wouldn't break your system if you used it, and that it met certain baseline standards of content (no swearing, smoking, crosses, etc etc). There were plenty of entirely putrid games with that gold-and-white seal upon the cover. It was simply a marketing/controlling measure in the wake of the Big Video Game Crash of the early 80s.

 

[Moroha]

I do "steal", but that's because I can't afford paying such huge sums for games yet.

Then we also have the region-type only games such as "Rurouni Kenshin Enjoy Kyoto Rinne" and "Gundam Seed Destiny Rengou vs ZAFT 2 Plus". And of course, games that you want to try out in fear of:

1. They won't work on your computer
2. They suck a rusty firehydrant

 

[Duck Sandwich]

Yeah, I wouldn't say that ALL piracy is bad, but a line definitely needs to be drawn. People need to stop stealing stuff that's recently made because it hurts the companies that produce them. If no one pays for games, the folks who make them go out of business.

But then there's always the case of games that are otherwise unable to obtain. You're not paying for them, but if there's no legal way to obtain them, the makers of said games aren't going to get your money either way, hence my rom collection of Tower of Doom, Shadow Over Mystara, Battle Circuit, and Cadillacs & Dinosaurs.

"Rig Racer 2"

It's Rig Racer. RIIIIIIG RAAACEEEEEERRRR!!

 

[MaraN88]

Piracy did not cost Nintendo 1 Billion dollars (their total revenue beeing 8 billion) let's say you have a DS and a "ds get all games you want for free card" (don't remmeber what they are called xD) How many games would you download? and how many of those games would have bought if you didn't have that magic card? mabye 1/10? 1/100? (I'm just hoping they aren't counting Gameboy games which can be downloaded for free on a lot of sites)
A piratet Wii/Ds on the other hand is lost revenue but i'd doubt it would amount to 1/8 of nintendos total revenue.
I'd say this is the sole work of nintendos US office since US is all over the "you kill us when you download" thing while japan is not...