Nintendo calls for anti-piracy offensive (CVG 25/2/09)

Nintendo says a number of countries aren't doing enough to combat the availability of hardware circumvention devices such as "game copiers" and "mod chips".

Appealing to the U.S. Trade Representative for help in its bid to stamp out piracy, Nintendo said that piracy of its DS and Wii systems is on the rise, citing the widespread availability of devices like the R4 chip that circumvent the product security embedded in its platforms, allowing users to play illegal software.

Nintendo believes that piracy is most rampant in China, Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Spain and Paraguay, and that the countries aren't doing enough to prevent it, hence the platform holder's appeal to the States for help.

"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.

Last year the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association said that "In America it's thought 90 percent of Nintendo DS users are playing pirated games because of R4s."

However, a Nintendo of America spokesperson told this reporter: "While the R4 and other game copying devices are available and cause Nintendo concern, they have not reached the mass market as indicated."

ha
horray for the r4