Last month we reported that the ironically-named Justin Success Brooks was accused of selling thousands of counterfeit Wii, DS and DSi Nintendo games between 2009 and 2011 - pocketing himself up to £600,000 in the process - and that pleaded guilty to all charges. His court case was scheduled for November 9th, in which he has been sentenced to 32 months jail time, but was also told he could expect to serve just half of that.
Brooks had been issued a warning by Nintendo itself, which he chose to ignore and continue selling illegal goods. According to the Croydon Guardian, his lawyer stated that customers were buying the counterfeit games to save themselves some extra cash.
He said:
If you read forums, for every person complaining about the sale of illegal games there are four or five complaining about the price of legitimate games.
He was taking a risk not on the understanding that what he was doing was criminal but on the understanding that he could be sued. It is theft at the heart of this, rather than complex fraud.
So there you have it; behind every great fortune, lies a great crime. Are you pleased to see Justin Success-Brooks serve his time?
[source croydonguardian.co.uk]
Comments 34
Well that's good to see.
People need to either find the money to buy their games legitimately (or rent, borrow or any other legal method that works) or find a cheaper hobby.
@BenAV - I wholeheartedly agree. People either need to learn how to budget, learn how to wait for prices to drop, or take up something other than gaming.
Yep - developers need income to create good games and good sofware.
Where is the incentive to produce these if some criminal is profiting and taking all your well deserved earnings.
No income for Devs and Nintendo means no consoles, no games, no Gaming Industry , No Hobby
@BenAV well gaming is a very cheap hobby, amount of time spent per spent amount of cash is about the most efficient.
People complaining about the price of games are either buying the crappy games or not using their brains to assess real value.
I would lock him in a padded room with a Star Wars and Harry Potter Kinect torture device as his only amusement.
2 years and 8 months.. Ouch.
This time law and order succeeds
When I was growing up, we didin't have much money for the latest consoles & games. We either swapped or rented. Friends when they were finished w/carts would sell them to me. Thats how I built up (and kept) my collection.
As I got older one tactic I used to keep up with the new consoles or must have titles was to anticipate when they were coming out and save until that day. So not only was being 'in the know' cool, it also paid off on launch day. At face value I'd look as if I couldn't afford one console, but end up leaving with two or three bundles!
So stay in the know, anticipate launches and save. Works every time.
so does he keep the money? lets see... a million dollars for spending potentially 16 months in jail... almost sounds like a good deal
They caught one pirate out of... how many? A million? Does this make any difference? Nope. All Nintendo really gets is pretty much just a flashy headline like the one at the top of this very article. Woo.
I sadly knew he would spend at least half of his deserved time in jail.
@Knuckles Yup. Pretty much always the case.
Why the judge didn't force him to change his middle name to 'Failure' I'll never know...
"If you read forums, for every person complaining about the sale of illegal games there are four or five complaining about the price of legitimate games."
Even though I disapprove of his action, I do agree with his reason,. When most Wii U game was priced at $60 msrp, alot of people complaint that it was too much. Heck they complain about 3ds games costing $5-$10 more then the first ds games, and don't get started with the eshop.
Overall more gamers need to better manage their money by saving beforehand like MajorasWrath said, get them on weekly sales, and using store credit/reward points to drop the price. That way it cut down on people being tempted by guys like Success while support the people that makes it.
Btw Holiday sales are around the corner with the closes being black friday (hint hint) and normally they have sales that includes recent releases.
@crumpledpapyrus it originally was Failure, but he changed it to Success to try and seem more like a success, but in the end, he's still a Failure.
I'm surprised there's still bootlegs of Wii/Ds games, sure it might be kinda high, but if the developers didn't get some income for their games, then they can't continue to make their games.
OBJECTION!!
No, not really.
@SheldonRandoms
True dat. Some people just don't seems to put 2 and 2 together.
The best way to stop pirating is to not support it. Just think about it, if you buy a pirated game, you are stealing. It doesn't matter if it's cheaper, it's stealing. This guy being caught could push some potential piraters away.
Well, there are better ways to get "real" games then to buy pirated ones.
Yes save up. Used games are not so bad either. I can count on both hands the NEW games I have ever bought . USED simply means its not in a new box.
WHOOOOOO CARES? " Its not the box you buy , Its how you play the game ! NO?
Quite short sighted to say that crime doesnt pay when only one counterfeiter has a jail sentence, while all others continue to grow rich, but if it helps keep the kids from a life of crime then who am I to complain? :3
good, but its quite safe to say the devs were never going to get thier money from them in the first place, im not even sure this even faze alot of people to stop them from pirating
@BlackFira - A completely unfounded statement. While there are some people that would never pay for games anyway, if pirating wasnt possible, there would be plenty more people actually paying for games. People that pirate prefer not to spend their money, but that isnt to say that they wouldnt if it was their only option.
If you actually beat games, gaming's about the cheapest entertainment per hour, after reading books and the internet. Going to the cinema, going out to a bar or club (buying drinks), visiting prostitutes, shopping... it's all much more expensive per hour.
I don't like the pricing of most games but it doesn't give me carte blanche to go out and steal.
What a smeghead.
Well, I always end playing older gen consoles and games because they are cheaper now (and better than some new gen games).
Also, Im not paying the price of the newest console games
@people who think today's games are expensive- You've obviously never participated in Steam sales.
omg thats nearly 3 years of his life Poor guy. Nintendo is mean.
@SMEXIZELDAMAN If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.
Good. Maybe he will stop stealing other people's work they spend so much of their life on.
what a sucker.
I agree that what he was doing is wrong and he should of quit while he was ahead instead of getting greedy,especially after receiving a warning from Nintendo but 32 months seems an awfully long time when you consider paedophiles,rapists,child abusers can expect to receive a similar or more lenient sentence in the UK.It certainly isn't fraud as I'm sure all the buyers knew exactly what they were buying so I'm my opinion he should have had a huge fine,suspended sentence and community service,maybe 300 hours promoting the Wii U lol.
Many folk will say that there needs to be a deterrent to stop others from doing the same but just cause this guys been caught it wont stop others.I live in Thailand and there is counterfeit everywhere but in a poor country it can be 1 of the only ways to make money.I don't see these guys as criminals that need to be locked up for 18 months with the scum of society.I buy my Celtic shirts from a mall here which are 100% quality copies but cost 40 quid less than the originals and sometimes are even better quality.I also send them home to my mates in Scotland and make a few quid from them.Does this make me a criminal?
@SMEXIZELDAMAN I know, right? THREE years? Ridiculous.
I'd have given him six.
@OorWullie
It's UK justice. We don't throw out roaming terrorists but we'll throw the key away when it comes to guys like this. Groovy.
Yeah because Wii, DS and DSi are sure expensive. Becuase 360 and PS3 games are so much cheaper...
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