Nintendo has won a lawsuit against a Switch streamer who pirated games and mocked the company.
Nintendo had the last laugh this week, as it won a lawsuit against an arrogant gamer who kept broadcasting Switch games illegally, taunting the gaming giant by saying “I can do this all day,” and “I run the streets.”
The streamer, going by the name of “Every Game Guru,” reportedly even sent correspondence to Nintendo, claiming that he had a thousand burner channels. There was nothing covert about his behaviour whatsoever.
The icing on the cake moment came when he posted on his Facebook, “Should have done more research on me. You might run a corporation, I run the streets.”
It’s no wonder that when a gamer repeatedly mocks and belittles the creator of the game he spends so much time playing – in this case, Mario & Luigi: Brothership – that Nintendo felt the need to take him to court.
Delving deeper into the legal legislation, it appears the phony gamer streamed over ten of the firms' leaked games, over fifty times, and across different platforms.
The defendant received a default judgment, in other words, failing to appear at the court date, effectively handing a favorable verdict to the games company, with damages set at $17,500, which could be considered a relatively lenient outcome.
Game over, buddy
Such a brazen move by a gamer is all the more surprising, especially when considering Nintendo’s zero-tolerance approach to piracy.
For instance, many ROM (Read-only memory) sites hosting illegal downloads of games have faced legal repercussions, as well as a $4 million lawsuit against a Reddit moderator who allegedly copied games to their extensive community.
Nintendo stands firm that the early leaking of games can spoil surprises for fans, as well as undercutting its sales.
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Some critics, however, criticize the Japanese firm for being too aggressive in its legal pursuits, with one PC Gamer journalist outwardly labelling it a "vigorous legal bully,” especially because of their clampdown on fan spinoff games for favourites like The Legend of Zelda, which may be a gateway to pirated games, according to the journalist.
Streamers may be tempted to turn Nintendo's stubbornness and heighten the temptation to break the law, but the risk clearly remains higher than ever.
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