Game copiers for Nintendo DS ruled illegal in UK

[DaBees-Knees]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10790835

A High Court has ruled that devices that allow gamers to play pirated video games are illegal in the UK. The ruling specifically targets a range of popular devices which can be used to store and play copied games on the Nintedo DS handheld console. The ruling says "game copiers" are illegal to import, advertise and sell in the UK. The defendants - Playables Limited and Wai Dat Chan - had argued that they allow gamers to play home-made games.

"The mere fact that the device can be used for a non-infringing purpose is not a defence," read the ruling by Justice Floyd.

Nintendo said it was "pleased that the court was not persuaded by the defendant's arguments, claiming that game copiers are lawful, as they allow for the play of 'homebrew' applications".

"The court affirmed that game copiers first circumvent Nintendo's security systems before any non-infringing application can be played on Nintendo's handheld products," it said in a statement.

This UK judgment follows a similar ruling in the Netherlands earlier in July.

The economic effect on Nintendo of the trade in these devices is substantial as each accused device can store and play copies of many Nintendo DS games”

 The Hague District Court ruled that 11 Dutch online retailers acted unlawfully by importing and selling game copiers for use with Nintendo DS and modification chips for use with Wii.

Game copiers are designed to fit into the game cartridge of Nintendo's DS. Games can then be loaded from memory cards. The R4 chips circumvent the protection measures Nintendo has built into its DS consoles, enabling illegally pirated games to be downloaded online and stored on a chip. They are sold for as little as £10.

The ruling said that the defendants had imported nine different devices on a "large scale".

"HMRC and Trading Standards have seized more than 165,000 game copiers intended for the defendants," it read.

[Will]

Interesting, but what about the PSP? All you need for that is a memory card and I'm pretty sure they won't ban those xD

[White Stripes]

"The mere fact that the device can be used for a non-infringing purpose is not a defence," read the ruling by Justice Floyd.

hast that already been dealt with and declared legal time and time and time again?

and seriously... what about the homebrew scene??? -- uber excelent example being 'little sound dj' ; http://www.littlesounddj.com/lsd/ -- look for a group on jamendo.com called 'pornophonique' ... they used it quite extensively...

as for the psp.. im not sure sony really cares about it anymore...