From: buffa@delos.inria.fr (Michel Buffa)
Newsgroups: rec.games.video
Subject: *NINTENDO IS FIGHTING AGAINST GAME COPIERS RIGHT NOW*
Date: 3 Sep 92 15:27:58 GMT
Reply-To: buffa@sophia.inria.fr
Organization: Inria Sofia Antipolis

A friend forwarded this message to me. I have no idea of who wrote this first.
			
   NEWSFLASH - CUSTOMS RAIDS/CONFISCATION OF COPIERS IN UNITED KINGDOM
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                         2ND SEPTEMBER 1992

This is not a wind-up &%%# take file, but is admittedly pretty sketchy...  The
long and short of this story however is that Nintendo have finally taken steps
to prevent the importing of Super Magicom's....  It is not yet clear about the
situation of the Super Magic Drive's (Sega copier)..  but I guess that will
soon be the same.

  It came to our attention about 3 days ago that Nintendo have begun issuing
writs against anyone importing Super Magicom's (or any other Nintendo
copier/adaptor)..  as part of the 'infringement of copyright - by illegal
usage of the operating system' (or words to that effect).  Usage of the
operating system' (or words to that effect).  In the first reported case of an
importer from East London, 45 units were confiscated at Customs - never to be
seen again...  usually in the case of confiscated items - legal things are
auctioned, illegal items are destroyed.  Money back?  No chance...  The
importer is free to appeal but is unlikely to win over such a powerful company
- especially as the copiers do not really have much of a 'legal' purpose.  As
you can imagine, this importer who expected to make quite a large sum of money
- is devastated.  In another case of Customs holding copiers, in the Midlands,
the units WERE returned - pending an investigation...  but only after the
client personally went down to complain....  it will be interesting to see
what happens here.  In the last case, in the North of England, after being
told to collect the goods from Customs, the third customer visited Customs &
Excise and picked up the goods.  While loading the goods into the back of his
car, he was held by Customs and had his vehicle searched under 'warrant'. 
 100 disks of pirated console games were also found in the back seat, ready to
be taken and delivered to waiting buyers.  A writ had been issued by Nintendo,
but Customs could only act on it AFTER the goods had been collected by the
person involved.  It is not known what will happen about the 100 disks, but
the copiers were confiscated - never to reappear.  ....Each separate case has
been told to me by DIFFERENT people, and yet the stories all match up with the
same result - so I have no doubt that these stories are real.  Infact in the
next few days I expect to hear more cases and also read about it in the trade
& consumer press. 

-- 
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Michel Buffa:       Projet Robotvis, INRIA, France

    Internet:       buffa@sardaigne.inria.fr
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