AfterDawn: News

Nintendo backs US decision to file piracy case against China

We reported last week that the US was filing a piracy case against China, and after the decision was made, Nintendo of America declared very strong support for the government and their efforts to crack down on video game piracy in particular in China.

Each year, the US Trade Representatives gets reports from companies about foreign piracy and this year Nintendo gave evidence about piracy in China, Hong Kong, Mexico, Paraguay, and Brazil.



According to Nintendo's report there have been more than 7.7 million counterfeit videogame products seized from Chinese factories and retailers in the last 10 years.

In a statement, the company said China is "the leading production site and exporter for counterfeit Nintendo videogame products", and also has the largest domestic consumption - but there has only been one criminal prosecution.

"Numerous factories, where tens of thousands of counterfeit Nintendo products were seized, escaped with only trivial fines or no penalty at all. And often these production sites continue to operate after products are seized,"

Nintendo's senior director of anti-piracy praised the goverment highly for their latest efforts: "Nintendo will continue to work with the U.S. government while aggressively pursuing counterfeit Nintendo products in China.

"We're pleased the US government is pushing China to comply with its trade commitments in an effort to protect the lifeblood of the copyright and trademark industries."

Source:
Gamesindustry.biz

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 10 Apr 2007 9:41

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• 12 comments

• i1der

  piracy in poor country in my opinion is not crime at all!!!!
  If the price of a video game was accessible to people that live there i would agree but this is not a reality. I use to live in Brasil and had only original games... but cause they were giving to me. Never spend a single penny there, of course the money value of a country is different from another but still a big gap in price even when it is converted to actual American Dollar$ cause Brazilian Real$(currency in Brazil) is 2.5/1 and the video games(ps2, Xbox, Gamecube) cost in something about $250.00 Real's witch is converted $100.00 Dollar's. Wanna put a code to Brazilian gamers only understandable... But I don't think they will ever won a war against piracy to none of these country before start thinking about the gamers, cause if a game cost 250.00 for a original and 10.00 from some weird guy on the corner, I personally would never get a original. Game should cost no more then what gamers can afford. Games should cost no more than a regular DVD!
  Games Publishers are greedy Bastards, not even the gamer developers like then, but it is business, and they need the money and Publishers have to invest. When games Developers be able to Piracy they own game everything will be different, i dont get it with the technology of internet and we still buy games from publishers and chain stores...
  One day developers will take over and everything will change. Internet is taking over TV and everything will follow.

  10.4.2007 17:24 #1

• vinny13

  I say we blame Texus!

  10.4.2007 19:10 #2

• ZippyG

  Why should a game only cost what someone can afford? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. First of all, games are not a requirement. If you're so damn poor in your ghetto ass 3rd world country, shouldn't you be focusing on buying necessities and investing in a better future rather than games? Secondly, the game industry is just that - an industry...aka business. They're not a charity, they exist to make money. If you don't got the dough take yo broke ass home and stop whining because there's plenty of people who make something of themselves instead of expecting handouts or social concessions.

  10.4.2007 20:05 #3

• ZippyDSM

  ZippyG
  oh please look at the moeny games the corporations play with regions and if they dont make it for your region you have to import it,look at DVDs its one thing to sale it at 2 or 3X cost but when they cant let go of 5X+ "profit" where dose it end they are constantly dcking with games to make them have less content and cost more and then they have the balls to raise the price when people wont buy their product making the loyal consumers pick up the slack.
  
  they can make more a profit at selling stuff at a loss to to places like china the higher the price the more willing people on a large scale will be to hack,crack and copy.
  
  I miss the old days when china was "free" to build all sorts of helpful gadgets lil by lil the corporations are stagnating innovation across the board and replacing it with their shortsighted greedy "cry home to mama" crippled products..

  11.4.2007 00:26 #4

• i1der

  Someone that says "people can't have because you can't afford" are animal's!!!! nobody own this world and everyone should have the same opportunity as every body else, come here talk about people should do something to help economy.... this is bow, if was that easy would be no poverty in this world. Brazilian people are the most Kind (in they Country) people in the world, most people on these country dont download a game for free and then burn it, they still buying, but for a less pricey way.
  
  Until people think like you (ZippyG) as greedy fOck bastard nothing will change. Piracy will still ruling. People dont like piracy... But if is the only option no one will hesitate.

  11.4.2007 10:02 #5

• ZippyG

  Originally posted by i1der:Someone that says "people can't have because you can't afford" are animal's!!!! nobody own this world and everyone should have the same opportunity as every body else, come here talk about people should do something to help economy.... this is bow, if was that easy would be no poverty in this world. Brazilian people are the most Kind (in they Country) people in the world, most people on these country dont download a game for free and then burn it, they still buying, but for a less pricey way.
  
  Until people think like you (ZippyG) as greedy fOck bastard nothing will change. Piracy will still ruling. People dont like piracy... But if is the only option no one will hesitate.Where are you coming up with this bleeding heart liberal drivel. People who talk like you equate opportunity to being given something for nothing. You get a lot of that here in the US with all these ghetto people on welfare...to them these "handouts" are an "opportunity". Let's not forget about the lowered standards that allow underperforming students to progress...yet another opportunity in the interest of making it "fair" for everyone.
  
  Those so-called "greedy bastards" didn't get to where they are by posting whiny messages on forums complaining there is a lack of opportunity in this world for them. THEY DID SOMETHING and what do you know, they found success.
  
  The only thing guaranteed in this world is that someday you die...anything else that does or doesn't happen to you is totally up to you. If you're so poor that you can't afford a video game, then guess what, you shouldn't be buying video games. Plain and simple...

  11.4.2007 13:02 #6

• neo1000

  Heil ZippyG

  11.4.2007 15:03 #7

• ZippyDSM

  ZippyG
  then why are you here "boycotting" the man with us?? :X
  
  sure you sate the realities of it well however you forget the black boots dont rule the world and free people still have the ability to "boycott" the corporations in many of forms.

  11.4.2007 15:05 #8

• ZippyG

  Originally posted by ZIppyDSM:ZippyG
  then why are you here "boycotting" the man with us?? :X
  
  sure you sate the realities of it well however you forget the black boots dont rule the world and free people still have the ability to "boycott" the corporations in many of forms.Absolutely, and I guess being unable to afford a product is effectively boycotting it. ;)
  
  There are two extreme sides here...one side is that people want to pay less for products and expect that the companies the sell these products concede to their desires, else they be called "greedy bastards". People saying this usually have little or no business acumen and fail to understand that the cost of a product is more than the sum of its parts. For example, the material cost of a game may be $4.50 including the case and insert, however the company that developed the game invested several million dollars. They obviously want to make that money back, AND make a profit...the typical profit that businesses shoot for is 3:1...so if a game cost $5 million to make, then the company would want to make $15 million in revenue at least.
  
  On the other side you companies that try to exploit customers with excessive restrictions or unwarranted actions (i.e. RIAA/MPAA lawsuits) that force customers to pay for many times for the same product, or pay too much for an inferior product. Sony's rootkit is a great example of true corporate greed and shortsightedness, with no regard to consumers. The campaigns that wage war on P2P networks is also misguided, as they should be embracing new technologies rather than trying to stifle progress in an attempt to revive a dying business model.
  
  The only practical solution is to find a middle ground...both companies and customers need to understand each other. Unfortunately, the typical real world result is that there is always a power struggle shifting between the two extreme points of view, rather than a balanced coexistence that benefits everyone.

  11.4.2007 20:37 #9

• ZippyDSM

  ZippyG
  :X
  
  hehehehe
  well I see the corporations not tryign for a normal 1 or 2 X profit but 3-8X they are effectively anlinating a broad range of consumers and making thos that can pay pay a bit more,I am down with making a profit but Quote:not making one on the backs of the consumers is never a good thing :P

  12.4.2007 00:24 #10

• riplord

  @ Zippy G:
  When the ice melts, they're not letting you on their yachts. :p

  12.4.2007 09:17 #11

• ZippyG

  Quote:ZippyG
  :X
  
  hehehehe
  well I see the corporations not tryign for a normal 1 or 2 X profit but 3-8X they are effectively anlinating a broad range of consumers and making thos that can pay pay a bit more,I am down with making a profit but not making one on the backs of the consumers is never a good thing :PThere is nothing wrong with making a profit, that's the role a consumer plays...and ultimately, they dictate the market because what they are willing and/or able to pay determines if a product sells or not.
  
  I guess what you mean by saying "on the backs of consumers" is using deceptive or otherwise unscrupulous tactics (excessive DRM that attempts to force someone to pay multiple times for the same product), and like I said before, I don't support the extreme points of view of either the consumer or the corporation.
  
  Quote:@ Zippy G:
  When the ice melts, they're not letting you on their yachts. :pWho needs yachts!? I'm staking my claim in Antarctica, which I predict will be a tropical paradise within the next 20 years or so. Thank you global warming! :D

  12.4.2007 13:45 #12