Nintendo Scores Victory Against Chinese Piracy

Nintendo described the victory as one of its "most significant anti-piracy judgments ever", after a Hong Kong judge ordered LSI to pay an interim amount of HK$5 million (US$641,000) in damages. The device, called the Flash Linker, plugged in to the printer port of a PC and could send and receive game ROM data to and from Game Boy and Game Boy Advance Flash cartridges. While the devices were marketed as "backup" solutions for players, games quickly found their way onto the Internet, and widespread piracy of Game Boy and GBA games ensued. (The company also sold rewriteable Flash cartriges.) Nintendo sought US$20 million in damages in its original complaint, for lost revenues in 2001 and 2002. LSI has been under legal attack from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo since last year, due to the numerous mod chips products it formerly sold. The company agreed to be acquired by a larger firm, Pacific Game Technology, in large part to help underwrite its court costs.