Nintendo accuses Switch emulator creators of “piracy on a colossal scale”

Yuzu, the most popular video game emulator, is in the sights of Nintendo, which claims a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Nintendo, the Japanese video game giant, has decided to sue the creators of a Switch emulator, Yuzu, which allows users to play games designed for Nintendo’s console on their PCs and Android devices. According to Nintendo, Yuzu violates the company’s copyrights and facilitates piracy on a colossal scale.

Yuzu, software that bypasses Nintendo security measures

Yuzu is a Switch emulator that was released in 2018 by the same developers as Citra, a 3DS emulator. Yuzu allows users to play Switch games on their computers or smartphones, using ROM files downloaded illegally from the Internet. To do this, Yuzu is able to decrypt Nintendo games, which are protected by encryption and other security features intended to prevent people from playing pirated copies.

Nintendo claims that Yuzu violates the anti-circumvention and anti-trafficking provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), a US law that prohibits circumvention of technological measures put in place by copyright owners to protect against infringement. illegal access and copying of protected works. Nintendo is asking the court to stop Yuzu’s creators from promoting and distributing the software, as well as an unspecified amount in equitable relief and damages.

Nintendo, victim of piracy of its flagship games

Nintendo is particularly affected by piracy of its games, which are among the most popular and profitable on the market. The company revealed in its complaint that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, its last Zelda game, was illegally distributed a week and a half before its official release. It was apparently downloaded over a million times from pirated websites, which specifically stated that users could play the game file through Yuzu.

Nintendo is not alone in its opposition to emulators, which are often seen as a threat to the video game industry. Other companies like Sony, Sega and Atari have also taken legal action against the creators or users of emulators. However, emulators are not illegal in themselves, and some defend them as a way to preserve video game heritage or make games accessible to a wider audience. This case could therefore set a precedent for future lawsuits against emulators, which call into question the very nature of their activity.

Source : Engadget