Nintendo have successfully sued RomUniverse, a website that distributed a sold access to pirated games. The lawsuit has resulted in RomUniverse's disappearance from the internet, and a pretty hefty fine. What on earth happened, what was RomUniverse, and why is the Nintendo-RomUniverse lawsuit such an insane case?
The crazy thing about RomUniverse was that you could download "ROM" files to emulate console video games on a PC. These files have been pretty nifty for a lot of people, who might not have access to classic old consoles like the Nintendo 64 or the Sega Dreamcast. The problem? Well, this is piracy, and as we all know: piracy is wrong, and you shouldn't do it.
Well, to be honest, that's not the real problem, but before you find out more about this sordid tale, here's a couple of articles that I suggest you check out for your EarlyGame viewing pleasure...
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Why Did Nintendo Sue RomUniverse?
Nintendo sued RomUniverse for distributing a selling pirated copies of its games. Sounds pretty fair enough, right? Well, yeah... Whilst many players do download ROM's and other forms of pirated video games, mainly to access older titles that may no longer be readily available, this practice is illegal. Considering that Nintendo discovered 49 of its games on the website, that's a pretty hefty offense.
What is even worse than distributing this pirated content, though, is that RomUniverse actively sold ROM files to people for real-life money. Some of these games sold for like $30USD, so at the peak of RomUniverse's time on Earth, it would be pretty safe to assume that they were making a decent living! If you want to understand why piracy is bad... it is pretty self-evident, but here is that clip from every DVD ever...
What Happened to RomUniverse?
RomUniverse's Matthew Storman has taken the website down, and Nintendo has been rewarded a pretty hefty $2.1 million USD in damages. That's pretty crazy, but what makes the story even more nuts – if you don't mind me saying – is that Stormann attempted to fight Nintendo in court... without an attorney!
Doesn't that just sound like madness? We think it does... at least. Not unexpectedly, he lost the case after his defense was ripped to shreds by – you guessed it – lawyers. You know, those people that you're supposed to let represent you when you get taken to court?
What Does This Mean For Nintendo Games on PC?
It is much harder now to gain access to Nintendo Games on PC – and rightfully so! RomUniverse was a pretty major distributor of pirated video games, and it is a good thing for the industry that it has been taken down. Of course, this also means that it is harder to get your hands on the original Super Mario Bros. The thing is though, guys: that's just the price you have to pay!
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