Nintendo Triumphs in French Court Battle Against Piracy Website

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Summary

  • The Cour de Cassation in France ruled Dstorage SAS liable for hosting pirated Nintendo games.
  • The ruling upholds a 2023 verdict by the Paris Court of Appeals against Dstorage.
  • Nintendo was pleased with the verdict, the latest victory in its ongoing anti-piracy campaign.

1fichier.com, a file storage site run by Dstorage SAS, was found guilty by the French Supreme Court for hosting pirated Nintendo games. This legal win for Nintendo could pave the way for similar actions against piracy in France and potentially across Europe, as the company expressed satisfaction with the decision.

Nintendo’s legal victory is an ongoing effort to counteract piracy and safeguard its creative works. Utilizing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), they’ve issued takedown notices to multiple websites and distribution platforms harboring ROMS and emulators of Nintendo games and systems. In the final months of 2024, Nintendo intensified its crusade against video game piracy. A court case against well-known Switch pirate James “Archbox” Williams resulted in a default victory for Nintendo when he neglected to attend court. Post-judgment, Nintendo aimed to scrutinize any services linked to Williams or his illicit activities, such as Reddit and GitHub.

Following persistent actions against suspected piracy by Nintendo, a significant court decision was made in their favor. Initially reported by VGC, the Cour de Cassation, France’s top judicial body, declared that Dstorage SAS was responsible for hosting pirated video games on its site, 1fichier.com. The high court determined that Dstorage had neglected to remove Nintendo content as requested in a previous court order. This decision affirmed the 2023 ruling by the Paris Court of Appeals against Dstorage, resulting in the storage company being fined more than €400,000 in compensation and legal costs. In response to the Cour de Cassation’s verdict, Nintendo expressed satisfaction that Dstorage was held accountable, and emphasized that platforms like 1fichier.com are not safe havens for individuals to share ROMs or emulators of their games.

Nintendo Wins Major Anti-Piracy Court Ruling In France

  • The Cour de Cassation in France ruled Dstorage SAS was liable for hosting pirated Nintendo games.
  • The ruling against Dstorage upholds a 2023 verdict by the Paris Court of Appeals.
  • Nintendo stated it was pleased with the verdict in France.
  • The verdict was part of Nintendo’s ongoing anti-piracy campaign.

Nintendo stated that the court’s decision would affect not just France but also Europe. Despite securing another legal victory, Nintendo’s tasks are still far from over. In 2024, Nintendo ordered Modded Hardware, creator of MiG Switch devices and other customized Switch hardware, to halt operations following the shutdown of the Yuzu Switch emulator. However, Ryan Daly, founder of Modded Hardware, continued selling the MiG Switch until a lawsuit was initiated.

Speculation about when and how much the new Nintendo Switch might cost swirls across social networks, but it remains unclear how Nintendo plans to counteract issues like reselling and copyright infringement as the launch approaches. We’ll just have to wait and see!

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2025-03-04 22:38