Tag: Legal - Page 3
News Ouch! Nintendo Hacker Gary Bowser Hit With Additional $10 Million Fine
He's already $4.5 million down and facing possible jail time
Remember Gary Bowser? He shares his name with Mario's greatest foe (and Nintendo of America's current president), but he's been something of an enemy of Nintendo in general over the past few years. Bowser is a member of Team Xecutor, one of the world's most "notorious videogame piracy...
News Switch Hacking Group Leader Gary Bowser Agrees To Pay Nintendo $4.5 Million
Bowser pleads guilty on two charges
No, thankfully this Bowser wasn't to blame... A member of Team Xecuter, a piracy group known for exploiting vulnerabilities in video game consoles as well as marketing and selling Nintendo hacks, has agreed to waive his right to be tried before a jury and has pleaded guilty to two charges. Gary Bowser, who was...
News Nintendo's Lawyers Strike Again, This Time Against A Mario NFT Gambling Game
Project rep fights back against "Nintendo simps"
Here we see a visual representation of Nintendo fighting off copyright infringement cases on a daily basis. An unofficial game project which used Super Mario assets to promote an NFT-based gambling platform has attracted the attention of Nintendo, so we all know what happens next. As reported by...
News Hand-Drawn Game Guide Kickstarter Taken Down Following "Legal Trouble"
Update #2: "We did not receive a cease and desist"
Cor, look at 'em Update #2: Phillip Summers has taken to Twitter to clarify some reporting around the cancellation of the Hand-Drawn Game Guide Kickstarter campaign. He states that "the party involved has been polite and I'm hopeful something can get worked out. They have every right to act as they...
News Take-Two Files Lawsuit Against Creators Of The GTA Reverse Engineering Project
Allows Grand Theft Auto 3 to be played on Switch
There have rumours recently about a Grand Theft Auto Trilogy remaster coming to the Nintendo Switch either later this year or at some point in 2022. Today's GTA news is a tad different. Rockstar Games' parent company Take-Two Interactive is now taking legal action against the 14 programmers behind...
News Castlevania Netflix Producer Files Lawsuit After Being Excluded From Spin-Off Series
Trouble is brewing...
There appears to be some drama surrounding Netflix's successful animated series Castlevania (again). Following on from the controversy tied to the show's creator Warren Ellis - who was removed from the project last year due to various allegations, the producer Adi Shankar is now making headlines. Shankar seemingly won't be...
News Court Orders Popular ROM Website To "Destroy" All Of Its Unauthorised Nintendo Games
Don't mess with Mario!
You might recall an ongoing legal battle between Nintendo and the website RomUniverse. Although the Japanese video game giant won, it more recently voiced concerns about its possible return after the founder, Matthew Storman, refused to rule out a comeback. While California's federal court previously decided against giving...
News Five Years Later, Nintendo's Lawsuit Against 'White Cat Project' Has Finally Been Settled
Nintendo initially asked for $40m in damages
Colopl's White Cat Project In a new statement (Japanese), Nintendo has confirmed that its patent infringement lawsuit filed against Colopl and its 'White Cat Project' mobile game has now been settled, with Colopl agreeing to pay an undisclosed figure. If you need a quick catch up, the case can be traced...
News Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Hacker Arrested For Selling Modified Save Data
Was sold online as the "ultimate save data"
We've heard in the past about crackdowns on street sales of modded Nintendo hardware and games, but this story is slightly different. Back in April, Tokyo-based Chinese national Ichimin Sho posted an advertisement on a Japanese e-commerce site selling "ultimate save data" for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of...
News Nintendo Fears A Popular ROM Website Could Make A Comeback
Asks court to reconsider decision
Nintendo has voiced concerns over the website RomUniverse making a possible return in the future. The company's legal representation recently spoke to the founder of the website, Matthew Storman, who apparently hasn't ruled out a comeback - even after being ordered to pay Nintendo $2.1 million in damages earlier...
News Sword And Shield Leakers Required To Pay The Pokémon Company $150K Each
A lawsuit dating back to 2019 has been settled
In 2019, The Pokémon Company International filed a lawsuit against two individuals who leaked images of Pokémon Sword and Shield from an unreleased strategy guide prior to the new games' official release. It seems justice has finally been served - with both defendants ordered to pay The Pokémon...
News Capcom Facing $12 Million Lawsuit For Allegedly Using Artist's Photos Without Permission
Evidence supposedly uncovered in recent data leak
If Capcom hadn't already suffered enough from last November's data leak, it's now facing a $12 million lawsuit. Designer Judy A. Juracek took action on Friday in a Connecticut court within the United States, alleging Capcom used copyrighted photos from her 1996 book Surfaces without her permission...
News Nintendo Wins $2.1 Million In Lawsuit Against ROM Website
Another one bites the dust
Back in September 2019, Nintendo filed a lawsuit against the game download portal website, RomUniverse. The site reportedly facilitated massive online copyright infringement of many popular Nintendo titles. It also profited by selling paid premium accounts - lifting the cap on the number of games users could download. The...
News "As You Can See, I'm Not A Switch Player" Admits Epic Games' Tim Sweeney
"Now the world knows"
Epic Games and Apple are currently exchanging blows in court, as you'll no doubt be aware. Fortnite maker Epic is asserting that Apple's App Store is essentially a money-grabbing monopoly and is harming the games industry, and to prove the point, Epic founder Tim Sweeney produced a Switch console during the trial. Why would...
Random Want To Develop For Nintendo Switch? Better Make Sure You're Not A Yakuza, Then
We hope you don't plan to use "threat or violence in connection with transactions"
Remember all that fuss between Epic Games and Apple regarding Fortnite on the App Store? Well, the court trial involving these two giants is currently underway, and as part of the legal proceedings, Nintendo has kindly provided its own publisher contract. While much...
News Nintendo Scores Another Victory In Its War Against Switch Piracy
So long, Winmart
Back in 2020, Nintendo took legal action against Le Hoang Minh – a Vietnamese citizen trading on Amazon under the name Winmart – to prevent the sale of RCM Loaders, which use special software to hack the console and permit the running of unlicensed code, as well as pirated games. It has now been confirmed that Nintendo has...
News Nintendo Is Suing A Reported "Leader" Of The Notorious Piracy Group Team Xecuter
So long, Gary Bowser
Nintendo appears to be fed up with Bowser and has decided to take some action. No, this isn't about Mario's archenemy or the current Nintendo of America president, Doug - we're talking about Gary Bowser, one of the supposed leaders of the "notorious" piracy group, Team Xecuter. As you might recall, Bowser - a 51-year-old...
News Nintendo May Have Issued A Copyright Claim To Take Down Some Raunchy Bowser Art
NSFW DMCA
It's safe to say that this news piece is really going to stretch the boundaries of what is possible to talk about on a family-friendly website, but before we begin: this article will not actually feature the image in question, but it's probably not safe to read at work, either. Then again, why are you reading about video games at work? Get...
News Germany Is Considering An 18+ Rating On Video Games With Loot Boxes
Pending approval from the Bundesrat
There's a good chance you've seen the controversies surrounding Loot Boxes. We've discussed them on numerous occasions, and there's been a longstanding debate over whether they're seen as gambling. Shockingly, publishers tend to
With $26.5m ready for extra claims
After reaching a settlement following a class-action lawsuit in connection with random loot boxes, Epic Games has revealed that it will be awarding in-game currency to affected players of both Fortnite and Rocket League. According to details on a settlement website for the case, the lawsuit alleges that "Epic...
News Nintendo Demands More Damages In Colopl Lawsuit, Now Suing For A Cool $47 Million
White Cat Project developer is accused of infringing six patents
You may recall that back in 2018, Nintendo filed a lawsuit against mobile games developer Colopl for around 4.4 billion yen ($41.7 million). It's not going away anytime soon – having entered multiple hearings – and now, Nintendo has raised that figure to 4.95 billion yen ($46.9...
News Cyberpunk 2077 And Witcher 3 Source Code Reportedly Being Auctioned After CD Projekt Hack
CD Projekt have refused to meet ransom demands
CD Projekt RED made the news again this week, confirming it had been targeted by a ransomware attack. Gaining access to a large swathe of employee data, this anonymous hacker also threatened to release The Witcher 3, Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales and
News It's "Plausible" The CD Projekt Server Hack Was An Inside Job, Claims Digital Privacy Expert
"They run a real risk that those games will be leaked online"
Earlier today, Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 developer CD Projekt Red revealed that it had become the target of a ransomware attack. The studio posted the news online, publicly sharing a ransom note said to be left by a hacker which claimed that the source code for some of its top...
News Don't Buy Devil Engine, Say Game's Artist And Musician
The saga isn't over yet
Devil Engine is a fine shooter, but it's sadly been overshadowed by legal shenanigans which have been rumbling on for quite some time now – shenanigans which have delayed the release of the game's update, Devil Engine Ignition. Protoculture Games (AKA Tristan Chapman) – the developer of Devil Engine – claimed in July...
News Several Huge Games Publishers Were Fined £7 Million For Geo-Blocking Sales
Someone get Phoenix Wright on the case
The EU is cracking down on sales practices that disadvantage customers, according to a report by BBC News. Six publishers have been fined €7.8 million (£6.9 million) for restricting cross-border sales, including Valve, Bandai Namco, Capcom, ZeniMax, Focus Home, and Koch Media. The practice, known as...
News Nintendo To Face Another Class Action Lawsuit For Switch "Joy-Con Drift"
But hey, it's the first of 2021
It's now been nearly four years since the Nintendo Switch was released and it seems "Joy-Con drift" issues persist. In the latest development, Lambert Avocat Inc. - a law firm located in Quebec, Canada, has filed a Joy-Con drift class action suit application on 15th January 2021. It's now waiting for a judge to...
News Dangen And Protoculture Settle Devil Engine Dispute, But There's More Trouble Ahead
Developer no longer has the rights to the art and music in the game
Update: It doesn't look like things are quite sorted yet, as Thomas and Joseph Bailey – the artist and musician of Devil Engine – have issued their own statement, saying that Tristan Chapman (lead developer and designer of the game) no longer has the right to use the art and...
News Nintendo Issues Mass DMCA Takedown, 379 Fan-Made Games Forcibly Removed
Nintendo's legal team strikes again
A total of 379 fan-made games have been removed from gaming website and hosting service Game Jolt after Nintendo of America issued a mass DMCA takedown. As reported by TorrentFreak, Nintendo of America's legal team sent DMCA notices to the offending site in December. The warning, which has been published online...
News Tokyo's Unofficial Mario Kart Service Loses Supreme Court Appeal
Sealing Nintendo's win
Remember that knock-off Mario Kart service operating in Tokyo? Since 2017, it's been engaged in an ongoing legal battle with Nintendo, but it looks like its days are finally numbered. In January of this year, the go-kart firm was ordered to pay the video game giant 50 million yen for violating its IP rights. It appealed this...
"Controller modification isn’t the issue, use of copyright is"
Last year, popular YouTuber Desmond “Etika” Amofah tragically took his own life, so artist and content creator CptnAlex – who produces a wide range of customised shells and other items relating to Nintendo – decided to produce the ‘Etikon’ to raise money for JED Foundation,...
News Nintendo Hacker Who Stole "Confidential Information" Sentenced To Three Years In Prison
Was also in possession of explicit videos and images of minors
A 21-year-old man named Ryan Hernandez has been sentenced to three years in prison for his "computer hacking scheme" and "possession of child pornography" found on his digital devices. In 2016, Hernandez used phishing techniques to steal the credentials of a Nintendo employee - allowing...
Update: FIFPro wades in
Update: FIFPro has issued the following statement regarding this issue (thanks, Push Square): In light of recent media reports, FIFPro wishes to clarify the manner in which it obtains the image rights of players, and its role in defending the employment rights of professional footballers worldwide. FIFPro, a not-for-profit...
News Nicalis Is Issuing DMCA Takedown Notices To Free Versions Of Cave Story
"Do not support Nicalis. Do not buy Nicalis games"
Update: Ema – who worked on a fork of the CSE2 version of Cave Story – has gotten in touch to clarify some points: 1. This DMCA is strictly for CSE2, the fanmade decompilation of the original freeware version of Cave Story. Said freeware version is unaffected by the takedown, and can be...
News Nintendo Calls Switch Piracy "A Worsening International Problem" As It Sues Another Hack Seller
Going to court
Piracy on the Switch is proving to be a real problem for Nintendo, but it's one the company is tackling head-on. The firm has already won cases against online stores re-selling devices which can "jailbreak" the Switch, coming away with a c
News Nintendo Is Facing Another Class Action Lawsuit For Joy-Con Drift
Featuring a technical breakdown by an "expert"
Since the release of the Nintendo Switch, users have been experiencing issues with Joy-Con drift. It's resulted in multiple lawsuits and now another has been filed in the US. This latest one is based on a minor who experienced repeated drift issues with three pairs of Joy-Cons - even after getting them...
News Nintendo Lawyers Hit Fan-Made Zelda Game With Fatal Copyright Claim
And that's that
Nintendo's legal team has swooped in once again, filing a copyright claim on a fan-made Legend of Zelda game which has forced the project to be entirely delisted. Well-known modder Kaze Emanuar, who has been releasing a number of unofficial Nintendo-based projects over the last few years, launched a title called 'The Missing Link'...
News Popular Twitch And TikTok Star Pokeprincxss Has Been Sued By Nintendo
Forcing a name rebrand and payment
Popular TikTok user and Twitch streamer Pokeprincxss has been forced to rebrand and hand over money to Nintendo after being sued by the company. Gaining a mighty 1.9 million followers on TikTok and more than 50,000 followers on Twitch, the star has been se
Caught in the crossfire
Epic's Apple lawsuit could have "significant and serious ramifications" for platform holders like Nintendo, a judge has warned. After its battle royale juggernaut Fortnite was removed from the App Store in August for violating terms and conditions, Epic called out Apple for taking 30% of the cut from developers and declared...
News Nintendo Is Being Sued Over Joy-Con Drift Yet Again, This Time By A Child
Here we go again...
Nintendo is facing yet more trouble over the Joy-Con drift phenomenon as a mother and her 10-year-old child file a class-action lawsuit against the company. 'Joy-Con drift' refers to an issue where your Nintendo Switch controller will register movement even when you aren't applying any pressure to the control stick. The problem...
News Two Members Of "Notorious" Video Game Piracy Group Team Xecuter Arrested
Facing 11 felony counts
Two members of Team Xecuter - one of the world's most "notorious videogame piracy groups" - have been arrested. This is the same enterprise infamously known for exploiting vulnerabilities in Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft video game hardware. The United States Department of Justice revealed Max Louarn - a 48-year-old French...
News Nintendo Reportedly Arguing Switch Joy-Con Drift "Isn't A Real Problem"
Cue outrage
Joy-Con drift has been an ongoing topic throughout the Switch's life, but Nintendo is reportedly arguing it "isn't a real problem" and "hasn't caused anyone any inconvenience". Ouch! This is all according to the US law firm Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith (CSK&D), who is now supposedly calling on consumers who...
News Nintendo Wins $2 Million In Lawsuit Against Switch Piracy Hack Store
Hacking tools to be destroyed
Nintendo has taken another positive step in its fight against Switch piracy, winning a legal battle to the tune of $2 million. As we reported back in May, Nintendo recently filed a lawsuit against Uberchips.com and its owner, Tom Dilts Jr., a website accused of selling tools that can enable customers to play pirated...
News Nintendo Is Getting Sued Yet Again Over Switch Joy-Con Drift
"The Japanese giant chose not to modify the components subject to this failure"
Joy-Con drift has been a real bone of contention for Switch owners ever since the console launched in 2017, and Nintendo has faced more than one lawsuit over this alledged design fault. It's now facing another, this time in France. French consumer organisation UFC-Que...
News Naughty Game Starring Princess Peach Hit With Nintendo Copyright Complaint
After 8 years in development
Nintendo has hit another fan-made game with a copyright takedown notice, although this title is quite different from the usual ones making headlines. Peach's Untold Tale by South American-based developer Ivan Aedler, is a free hentai-style parody adult game starring the Mushroom Kingdom's princess that's well...far from...
News Legal Documents Show That Monster Energy Opposed Ubisoft's Gods & Monsters Game Title
Update: Ubisoft says legal pressure didn't cause name change
Update: Ubisoft has denied suggestions that Immortals Fenyx Rising's name change came about after legal pressure from Monster Energy. In a statement provided to Eurogamer, the company has said that the change "reflects a creative decision". "The name change for Immortals Fenyx Rising...
News Switch Owner Claims To Have Taken Nintendo To Court Over Joy-Con Drift, And Won
"Don’t give up and don’t take no for an answer"
A UK gamer who experienced 'Joy-Con drift' issues after purchasing a Nintendo Switch claims to have taken the company to court – and won. As you may know, the term 'Joy-Con drift' refers to an issue where your Joy-Con will register movement even when you aren't applying any pressure to the...
News Loot Boxes Are The Same As Gambling, Says The UK's House Of Lords
"There is a connection... between loot box spending and problem gambling"
Loot boxes in video games have been something of a contentious topic for a while now, and the UK's House of Lords ("The House of Lords Select Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry", to be precise) has just added its voice to the conversation,...
News The Super Mario 64 PC Port Just Got A 60fps Patch
Smoother than before
The Super Mario 64 PC mod - that Nintendo tried to take legal action against - has certainly come a long way since its unofficial release in May. When it first arrived it included 4K and ultra-widescreen support and in the following month, modders added in a modern Mario model and some imp
News Nintendo Targets Switch Modchip Installation Service In Latest Legal Crackdown
"Nintendo will not tolerate such baldly unlawful conduct"
Nintendo's New York legal team have issued a cease-and-desist letter to a US company that offers to install modchips in Switch for $60. Connecticut-based Logistics Consulting LLC immediately suspended its service when it received the notice earlier this month. Jenner & Block lawyer...
News Hacker Group Not Happy About Nintendo's "Censorship" And "Legal Scare Tactics"
"We are not a copyright-infringing ring of software pirates"
You might recall how Nintendo of America recently cracked down on Switch hack resellers that sell software allowing users to play pirated video games. The lawsuits targeted a number of websites that sold products reportedly made by an anonymous group of hackers known as "Team-Xecutor" –...
