Nintendo Sues Developers Of Yuzu Switch Emulator, Alleging ‘Piracy At A Colossal Scale’
KEY FACTS
Yuzu, which allows users to play Switch games on other platforms like Windows PC, turns computing devices into “tools for massive intellectual property infringement of Nintendo and others’ copyrighted works,” according to the filing.
Specifically, Nintendo accused Yuzu of unlawfully bypassing layers of Nintendo Switch encryption to allow for games to be played on other platforms, arguing that without such decryption, users can’t play unauthorized copies of games on PCs or Android devices.
Nintendo claimed the lead developer of Yuzu—known online as “Bunnei”—has publicly acknowledged Yuzu’s website gives instructions to users teaching them how to hack their Nintendo Switch consoles and how to make unauthorized copies of Nintendo video games.
Nintendo is asking for $2,500 for every violation of the anti-circumvention and anti-trafficking provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, as well as $150,000 for each copyright violation.
Nintendo also asked the court to seize, impound and destroy all copies of the Yuzu emulator in addition to software and hardware it believes violates its copyright.
KEY BACKGROUND
Emulators aren’t inherently illegal though they can be if users pirate games to play on them, which is why Nintendo is accusing Yuzu of facilitating piracy instead of outright committing it. Yuzu is financially supported by a Patreon that gives users access to early releases, improved technical support and access to its Discord channel. The Patreon has nearly 7,400 paying members and generates nearly $30,000 a month.
Comments
Post a Comment