French courts illegalise console piracy

The Court of Appeal in France has followed the UK’s lead in effectively illegalising the sale of the DS piracy device R4.

Six companies failed in their appeal against their conviction for selling the R4, meaning that as is the case in the UK legal precedent has now outlawed the shadowy accessory.

The Court also imposed fines of €460k and ordered damages in excess of €4.8m to be paid to Nintendo. Some suspended prison sentences were also issued.

The decision comes as the final result in a process that began with warehouse raids way back in December 2007 in Paris, Marseille and Strasbourg.

Aside from the UK and France, other countries to have made similar rulings include Germany, Italy and Belgium.

Nintendo supported this criminal action not only for the company’s sake, but for the interests of its game developer partners who spend time and money legitimately developing software for Nintendo’s game platforms, and customers who expect the highest standards and integrity from products bearing the Nintendo name,” Nintendo France MD Stephan Bole stated.