Tag: Legal - Page 4
News Legal Crackdown On Mario 64 PC Port Not Enough To Stop Modders From Improving It
And download links are still circulating online
Despite Nintendo's crackdown last month on the Super Mario 64 PC port, it's reportedly not been enough to stop the project from being improved upon. According to VGC, the modding community is still continuing to enhance the visual elements of the not-so-original release - even though many of the...
News Switch Joy-Con Drift Claim Must Be Arbitrated, Says Illinois Federal Court
A win for Nintendo, but it's not out of the woods yet
If you're one of the many people who has suffered from Joy-Con drift in the past then you might be interested to know that a legal claim by a Switch owner that Nintendo of America has sold "defective" controllers with its consoles must go to arbitration. The decision was made on Thursday by the...
News Nintendo Of America Files Two New Lawsuits Against Switch Hack Resellers
Causing "tremendous harm"
Nintendo's legal team is at it again. Polygon reports Nintendo of America filed two lawsuits last Friday in an attempt to crack down on Switch hack resellers that sell software allowing users to play pirated video games. The first was filed against Tom Dilts Jr., who is believed to be the operator of the website UberChips,...
News Nintendo Cracks Down On The Super Mario 64 PC Port
Download links and YouTube videos are being targeted
Nintendo's legal eagles have reportedly begun targeting sites hosting compiled versions of the Super Mario 64 PC port which was made available on the internet last week. According to a follow-up story by Torrent Freak, after the initial VGC report, links to download the exec
News Gamevice's Patent War Against Nintendo Continues, As ITC Moves Forward With Evidentiary Hearing
Here we go again
At the start of April, peripherals manufacturer Gamevice filed a new patent-infringement complaint against Nintendo and appealed the case it previously lost. While some people thought this was a joke, given the timing of the news, we can assure you it's not. In fact, Gamevice's ongoing patent war against Nintendo and the Switch...
News Cooking Mama's IP Holder Evaluating Legal Options, After "Unauthorized Release" Of Cookstar
Mama is mad!
The IP holder and creator of Cooking Mama, Office Create, has released an important notice explaining how Cooking Mama: Cookstar was an "unauthorized release" by Planet Entertainment. The statement also mentions how the Japanese-based company is now evaluating all of its legal options against Planet, in order to protect its customers,...
You thought it was over?
Last month, we heard how Nintendo had won a lengthy legal battle against the peripherals manufacturer Gamevice, who accused Nintendo of America and Nintendo Co. Ltd in Japan of violating its patent on a "combination computing device and game controller" with a "flexible bridge section". At the time, it was thought to be...
News Sony Intends To Remove More Nintendo Projects From Its PS4 Exclusive Dreams
A case-by-case takedown
Last weekend, news surfaced on social media that Sony had begun to take action against certain uploads and projects in Media Mocule's latest title, Dreams. In particular, Nintendo-themed ones. A user named @Piece_of_Craft shed some light via Twitter, explaining how they h
News Nintendo Shuts Down Kickstarter Campaign Over Animal Crossing Copyright Infringement
Here we go again
Nintendo is well known for being understandably protective over its products and trademarks, so it comes as little surprise that the gaming giant has taken legal action on a Kickstarter campaign found guilty of copyright infringement. The ‘New Adventures Passport Travel Holder’ launched with a funding target of £1,000, giving...
News Mario Project In PS4's Dreams Comes To A Halt For Containing "Copyrighted Material"
The beginning of the end
It appears to have finally happened – after a few months of PlayStation 4 users creating absolutely any kind of game they wanted to in Media Molecule's latest hit Dreams, Sony has begun to take action against certain themed uploads. Dreams content creator @Piece_of_Craft shed some light on the situation, explaining how...
News Nintendo Wins Switch Patent Dispute Against Peripherals Manufacturer Gamevice
PTAB invalidates all 19 claims
Remember when the peripherals manufacturer Gamevice launched a case against Nintendo and the Switch? It accused both Nintendo of America and Nintendo Co. Ltd in Japan of violating its patent on a "combination computing device and game controller" with a "flexible bridge section". It then dropped the case and filed...
News Nintendo's Request To Dismiss Joy-Con Drift Lawsuit Gets Rejected
Case will go to arbitration
The ongoing class-action lawsuit concerning alleged Joy-Con drift issues will go to arbitration, it has been confirmed. According to Law360 (thanks, VGC), US District Judge Thomas S. Zill
News Nintendo And The Pokémon Company Release Joint Statement On Sword And Shield Leaker
Update: Offending site responds
Update: The offending website has also issued its own statement. We've shared that below our original article. Original Article (Tue 11th Feb, 2020 09:45 GMT): Building up to the release of Pokémon Sword and Shield last year, certain elements of the game including Pokémon which hadn't yet been revealed were leaked...
News New Lawsuits Claim FIFA Is Built On "Illusionary And Addictive" Pay-To-Win Mechanics
"The amount I have spent has made me fall behind on my rent payments"
EA's FIFA series may be one of the best-selling video game franchises on the face of the planet, but it has come under fire in recent years for the loot box mechanics which underpin its popular Ultimate Team mode. In this mode, players assemble a dream team based on random 'packs'...
News Nintendo To Be Awarded Over $450,000 In Court Win Against Unofficial Mario Kart Service
Gone for good this time?
Nintendo has won an intellectual property infringement court case against Mari Mobility, a company which has been offering unofficial Mario Kart-inspired go kart services in Tokyo, Japan. You may have heard of this unofficial service before; originally going by the name of Maricar, the company was found guilty of infringing...
News IP Attorney Says Nintendo's Wii Remote Court Ruling Serves As "A Warning To Patentees"
"This case might have ended much differently"
If you've visited the site over the past couple of days, you probably noticed the story that a federal court in Dallas ruled a patent asserted against Nintendo’s Wii Remote as invalid. The court said that iLife Technologies Inc. was "impermissibly trying to cover the broad concept of using motion...
News Nintendo Won't Be Required To Offer eShop Pre-Order Refunds In Norway Or Germany
At least for now
Nintendo's already made headlines for a separate legal matter this week, and now after a two-year court battle, it has reportedly won a separate case against the German Consumer Protection Authority (VZBV) and Norway's Consumer Rights Council. The Japanese video game giant was accused of violating Norwegian and EU consumer laws, by...
News Federal Court Rules $10.1 Million Case Against Nintendo's Wii Remote As Invalid
Nintendo says it will "vigorously defend" its products
In a press release sent out today, Nintendo has announced that a patent asserted against technology found within the Wii Remote has been deemed invalid. The ruling comes from a federal court in Dallas and nullifies a $10.1 million jury award against Nintendo from way back in 2017. According to...
News Nintendo Wins Injunction Against California Man Selling Switch Mods And Pirated Games
Take that!
Last year in January, a video game hacking group known as Team-Xecuter revealed a Switch hack allowing players to run pirated games on Nintendo's hybrid device. Nintendo followed this up at the end of 2019, by taking legal action against a California resident named Sergio Moreno, who was accused of selling Team-Xecuter's mod devices,...
News US Importer Arrested For Manufacturing Counterfeit Mario And Pokémon Toys
He could face a lengthy prison sentence
When you have a franchise as popular as Super Mario or Pokémon, chances are that someone out there will try to illegally make a profit from your creations. Doing so can obviously result in some pretty major ramifications, and one man has found that out the hard way recently. The Los Angeles County District...
News The Pokémon Company Is Taking Legal Action Against Sword And Shield Leakers
It just needs to name them first
Update - Sat 14th Dec, 2019 03:30 GMT: The Pokémon Company has been given the green light to take further action against the leakers. The following update is via the PokéJungle Twitter account: The @Pokemon Company has been granted the ability to subpoena Discord and 4chan to unmask the identities of the leakers...
News Epic Sues Another Fortnite Tester For Leaking Chapter 2
Watch out, leakers
Epic Games still hasn't recovered from the Fortnite Chapter 2 leak, as it continues to hunt down and sue every leaker it can. Following on from a lawsuit Epic filed at a North Carolina court last month against a user experience tester who allegedly broke a non-disclosure agreement, it has now taken aim at a play tester within...
News Epic Sues User Experience Tester For Leaking Fortnite Chapter 2
Spoiling the surprise
The second chapter of Fortnite wasn't exactly a well-kept secret – with leaks all over the internet, but that hasn't stopped Epic Games from taking legal action against one particular individual who allegedly broke a non-disclosure agreement after he revealed information he learned as a user experience tester. Epic filed the...
News Fortnite "Ruined Our Child's Life", Claims Family At The Centre Of New Class-Action Lawsuit
"They really dug into the human brain"
Fortnite is one of the most popular video games of the present day, but a new class-action lawsuit currently being prepared in Canada is claiming that this fame has been bought via nefarious means. According to Alessandra Esposito Chartrand, an attorney with Calex Légal, Epic Games spent "many years" working...
News Switch Lite Added To Joy-Con Drift Class Action Lawsuit
Users report issues not long after release
The Switch Lite might have only been released last week, but already there have been reported cases of drift issues. It has now resulted in the same law firm in America – Chimicles, Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith – adding Nintendo's latest version of the hybrid system to its class action lawsuit...
News Billy Mitchell Threatens To Take Legal Action Against High-Score Sanctioning Bodies
The King of Kong wants his crown back
The one and only Billy Mitchell – best known for claiming high-scores in arcade games like Donkey Kong and then being officially stripped of the records – is reportedly threatening to take legal action against the sanctioning bodies Twin Galaxies and Guinness World Records. Polygon reveals Mitchell's...
News Nintendo Files Lawsuit Against ROM Website Offering Nearly 300,000 Switch Downloads
And "more than 500,000" 3DS downloads
Nintendo's crackdown on piracy continues, with its American branch filing a lawsuit against the owner of a website called RomUniverse on 10th September. The pirated games on this website allegedly show "counterfeit copies of Nintendo's trademarks" and reportedly infringe the copyright of the real works...
News Koei Tecmo Must Pay Capcom More Than $1.3 Million After Patent Infringement Court Battle
Legal laughs
Update (11th Sep, 15:30 BST): Koei Tecmo Games has been ordered to pay approximately $1.3 million in compensation after it was ruled that the company had infringed upon two of Capcom's patents. The case was first opened back in 2014 (see below), with Capcom arguing that the two separate patents had both been infringed upon. At the...
News Nintendo Wins Another War Against Piracy As Court Ruling Sees Offending Sites Blocked
Sites found to be "unlawful"
Nintendo has taken another positive step towards fighting the piracy of Switch games, with the UK High Court employing an injunction which will block access to offending websites. Five of the UK's top internet service providers - BT, EE, Sky, Talktalk and Virgin Media - will be required to "block, or at least impede...
News Niantic Pays $4m In Pokémon GO Trespassing Lawsuit, Will Introduce New Report System
Class-action lawsuit began three years ago
Pokémon GO developer Niantic will pay $4 million to settle a class-action lawsuit which was first raised against the company when the game first launched back in 2016. As you may remember, the early days of Pokémon GO's app store reign were slightly dampened with reports of dangerous play and...
News Class Action Lawsuit Officially Filed Against Nintendo For Switch Joy-Con "Drifting" Issues
"Filed on behalf of purchasers"
Yesterday, we found out a law firm located in the United States was preparing to file a class action lawsuit against Nintendo, based on reports the Joy-Con controllers for the Switch can experience "drift" issues. Now, in the latest development, the lawsuit against Nintendo of America has been officially filed by the...
News US Law Firm Opens "Switch Joy-Con Drift" Class Action Investigation
Calling on users experiencing issues
Anger over Joy-Con drifting issues appears to have finally boiled over, with a US law firm reportedly preparing to file a class action lawsuit against Nintendo. Details about this come straight from Chimicles, Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith – the firm currently looking into the possibility of a such a...
Random Nintendo Shuts Down Its Anti-Piracy Website
Farewell, angry Mario
Like many other video game companies, Nintendo does not tolerate piracy. Over the past year, we have heard about the Japanese publisher and developer taking action against individuals selling modified systems and sharing ROMS online. This has resulted in a number of legal battles and some hefty fines. As part of its measures...
News Security Researcher Avoids Prison After Hacking Into Nintendo's Network
And Microsoft's servers
Nintendo and Microsoft are once again making headlines together, but this time around it's not exactly what you might expect. 24-year-old security researcher Zammis Clark – also known as Slipstream or Raylee online – has pleaded guilty in London's Crown Court to hacking into Nintendo and Microsoft networks. The former...
News BadLand Breaks Its Silence Regarding Delayed Wii U Version Of Axiom Verge
"All this is part of a defamation campaign"
Who would have thought that a Wii U game could cause so much drama in 2019? We recently reported on the news that Limited Run Games is finally releasing the Wii U version of Axiom Verge after a costly legal tussle with the Spanish company BadLand Games. The two firms had signed a deal back in 2017 to...
Random Tokyo's Unofficial Mario Kart Service Really Wants You To Know It's "Unrelated To Nintendo"
Stickers solve everything
Nintendo might have won the lawsuit against Tokyo's Mari Mobility company - formerly known as MariCar - but somehow the go-kart business continues to bite back. Even though the company was required to pay 10 million yen (roughly USD$88,000) in damages last year and immediately stop wearing Mario-themed outfits, it's now...
News It Is Now Illegal To Sell Unauthorised Game Keys In Japan, Save File Editors Also Banned
No more cheating
Japan has revised its Unfair Competition Prevention Act, introducing several changes which will significantly affect the modding scene and, potentially, several wider gaming circles, too. Essentially, game save editors and console-modding services are now declared illegal, with offenders potentially facing fines of up to five...
News Bethesda's Fallout Shelter Lawsuit Against Warner Bros. Has Now Been "Amicably Resolved"
Official statement released today
You may remember that in June last year, Bethesda filed a lawsuit against Behaviour Interactive and Warner Bros. over the new Westworld mobile game. Over half a year later, Bethesda and Behaviour Interactive have now stated that the lawsuit has been "amicably resolved". Originally, Bethesda argued that Behaviour...
Random Backpack Kid Suing Epic For Inclusion Of Floss Dance Move In Fortnite
Join the club
Yesterday, we found out Alfonso Ribeiro - who played Carlton Banks in the early '90s television sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - would be suing Epic Games for adding his character's dance move to its popular free-to-play multiplayer title Fortnite. Ribeiro is not the first famous person to take legal action against the video game...
News Nintendo Will Be Taken To Court Over Its "Illegal" eShop Pre-Ordering System
The story continues
As regular readers of the site may remember, earlier this year Nintendo found itself in a spot of bother with the Norwegian Consumer Council over its digital pre-order system. Currently, Nintendo refuses to offer cancellations or refunds on pre-orders made through the eShop, even when games are purchased months before their...
Random Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air Actor Suing Epic For Adding Carlton Dance Move To Fortnite
The price of success
The success of Fortnite has unsurprisingly placed it in the firing line on a number of occasions. It's been accused of promoting violence and gambling to children and has been targeted for copyright infringement. The developer PUBG Corp - known for Player Unknown's Battlegrounds - even tried to take legal action against the...
News Nintendo Takes Legal Action Against California Man For Selling Hacked Systems
Laying down the law
In recent months, Nintendo has taken a strong stance against video game piracy worldwide. In an effort to continue the good fight, Nintendo is now taking legal action against a man located in Orange County, California who has allegedly been selling hacked consoles, pirated versions of the company's games and tools to help users...
News Chinese Bureau Receives Plaque From Nintendo For Enforcing Copyright Laws
A job well done
Nintendo is serious about protecting its intellectual properties. Recently, the Japanese company has cracked down on trademark and copyright infringement in different locations around the globe. In an attempt to spread the message far and wide, it has now awarded a plaque to the Shenzhen Bureau for "protecting copyrights" and the...
Random Japanese Man Named Miyamoto Arrested For Selling Modded Super Famicom Mini
No, not that one
A 39-year-old man located in Japan has been arrested by police for selling modded Super Famicom Classic Mini consoles to three individuals in online net auctions. According to a report by Asahi via Nintendo Soup, the man added a total of five games to each of the modified systems and then resold them for approximately 61,500 yen...
News Nintendo Wins $12 Million From Trademark And Copyright Infringement Lawsuit
An expensive settlement
Earlier this year in July, Nintendo filed a lawsuit against two ROM and emulator websites at the federal court in the US state of Arizona for trademark and copyright infringement. The latest development is the owners and operators of these now-defunct websites - a married couple - have agreed to a settlement exceeding $12...
News Nintendo's Legal Tussle With Colopl Rumbles Into A Fourth Hearing
Legal eagles
Back in January, we reported that Japanese developer Colopl was being taken to court by Nintendo over five patents which the latter claims were violated in the game Shiro Neko Project (aka White Cate Project). This legal battle has been rolling on all year, with Nintendo adding a sixth infringement - regarding a system of connecting...
News Tokyo's Unofficial Mario Kart Service Continues To Dress Up Riders After Nintendo Wins Lawsuit
Perhaps a blue shell will sort this out
Even the law can't stop Tokyo's Mari Mobility company, formerly known as MariCar. After last month's reports the unlicensed Mario Kart business would be required to pay 10 million yen (roughly $88,000) in damages and immediately stop wearing Mario-themed outfits, it was believed Nintendo had finally got its...
News There Will Be No More Drifting Around Tokyo In Unlicensed Mario Karts, As Nintendo Wins Lawsuit
Game over
Japan can be both a weird and wonderful country at times with robot restaurants and cat cafes. You might have also heard about an unlicensed Mario Kart ride company located in Tokyo. Even the Australian actor Hugh Jackman, best known for playing Wolverine in the X-Men movies, has spotted these karts in action. Being a completely...
News Former Telltale Employee Takes Legal Action Following Mass Layoffs
No surprises here
Telltale Games has now been hit with a class-action lawsuit. A disgruntled former employee is suing the San Francisco-based company on behalf of himself and his fellow laid-off workers. In the filed complaint, Vernie Roberts said Telltale let go of the employees without cause and without providing them advanced notice in writing...
News Belgian Government Launches Criminal Investigation Into EA Over "Illegal" FIFA Loot Boxes
Could end up in court
The Belgian government has reportedly launched a criminal investigation into FIFA developer EA over a potential breach of gambling laws active in the country. Earlier this year, the country's Gaming Commission declared that loot boxes present in Overwatch, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and EA's FIFA 18 would...
