R4 supplier gets 12 months in prison

A man who imported over 26,500 R4 DS piracy cards has been given 12 months in prison.

Yun Can Meng pleaded guilty to charges of bringing in thousands of the flash devices through Heathrow and Nottingham East Midlands Airport, and selling them on. He committed the offences between June 2008 and August 2009.

Furthermore, ELSPA’s IP crime unit, in colloboration with Hull City Council Trading Standards and the Humberside Police, managed to seize 1,280 R4 cards and similar devices.

Michael Rawlinson, Director General of ELSPA, welcomed the news: Our crime unit is pleased with the outcome of this trial and pleased to see the Court of Appeal’s copyright judgement is being robustly enforced.

"Intellectual property theft is an important issue for the country’s video games industry – as is protecting it. I would like to thank Hull City Council Trading Standards Department and the Humberside Police for their work in this matter as well, of course, as the ELSPA Crime Unit. We will continue to work with the authorities to prosecute organised IP theft offenders.”

Nintendo has been actively stopping the sale of R4 cards worldwide, and the platform holder hired Neil Boyd to head up its anti-piracy push in Europe last year.