Nintendo wins UK injunction against four Switch piracy websites
Pirating Switch games in the UK just became significantly harder, after Nintendo won an injunction against four websites intent on distributing pirate games, modified hardware and providing information on how to mod the console for easy piracy.
While the result doesn’t mean the sites have been pulled from the internet – presumably they’re hosted in countries that fall beyond the reach of the court – Nintendo has won an injunction that requires the top five UK ISPs – BT, EE, TalkTalk, Sky and Virgin Media – to “block, or at least impede access” to all of the highlighted websites.
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“Today, the UK High Court found the sale and distribution of ‘circumvention’ devices for the Nintendo Switch unlawful,” a spokesperson for Nintendo told Eurogamer. “Nintendo is pleased that the UK High Court has confirmed that dealing in devices or software that enable piracy on Nintendo Switch systems is unlawful.
“This decision will help protect the UK games industry and the more than 1800 developers worldwide that create games for the Nintendo Switch platform, and who rely on legitimate sales of games for their livelihood and to keep bringing quality content to gamers.”
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While Nintendo can indeed cheer its successful courtroom bid to impede Switch piracy, a block at ISP level will have little impact on the determined pirates determined to visit the sites in question. The idea, presumably, is to impede casual players from heading down that path. After all, if you don’t know the sites exists, then you’re unlikely to try and get around ISP blocks to find them.
Was getting the injunction worth Nintendo’s time, or will the determined pirate always find a way around ISP blocks? Let us know what you think on Twitter: @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
