FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Selling Game Copiers is Found Illegal in France

Paris’ Court of Appeals Deals Decisive Blow to Sellers of Game Copier Devices for
Nintendo DS Systems

Paris, France:  October 3, 2011 – This month, France joins a growing list of countries
taking a strong legal stance against video game piracy.  The Paris’ Court of Appeals
issued guilty verdicts on Sept. 26th against Divineo SARL, along with five other
companies, for the importation, sale and distribution of game copier devices
commonly referred to as “linkers” in France (in other countries, the devices may be
called R4s or Magicom).  The Court has imposed over 460,000 Euro in criminal fines,
damages payable to Nintendo in excess of 4.8 million Euros and, in some instances,
ordered suspended prison terms.
The decision of the Court of Appeals of Paris (France’s second highest Court)
represents a strong message to French companies dealing in these devices, that such
activities are illegal and will not be tolerated.   Those who are caught risk prison terms,
face substantial fines and obligations to pay damages.
This case arguably has involved some of the most prolific importers,
distributors and sellers of these devices. Raids carried out in December 2007 and
November 2008 across a number of locations in Paris, Marseille and Strasbourg
resulted in the seizure of several thousand game copiers. Nintendo would like to thank
everyone in the law enforcement and prosecution agencies involved in this case for
their invaluable support.
This decision now brings France in line with other European territories,
including the Netherlands, UK, Germany, Italy and Belgium, based on decisions they
already have rendered.  It also is consistent with other court decisions that have been
issued globally. “Nintendo supported this criminal action not only for the company’s sake, but
for the interests of its game developer partners who spend time and money
legitimately developing software for Nintendo’s game platforms, and customers who
expect the highest standards and integrity from products bearing the Nintendo name,”
said Stephan Bole, Managing Director of Nintendo France.
For more information about Nintendo’s fight against piracy, and how you can help,
please visit http://ap.nintendo.com.
About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo
Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home
console, Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it
launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.7 billion video
games and more than 600 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii,
Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi™ XL, as well as the Game
Boy™, Game Boy Advance™, Super NES™, Nintendo® 64 and Nintendo GameCube™ systems.
It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as
Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary,
Nintendo of Europe, based in Grossostheim, Germany, was established in 1990 and serves as
headquarters for Nintendo's operations in Europe.
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