Nintendo has secured a major legal victory in its fight against game piracy. The French Supreme Court ruled in favor of the gaming giant against Dstorage, a sharehosting operator accused of hosting unauthorized Nintendo games on its platform 1fichier.com. This ruling sets a strong precedent, reinforcing that European file-sharing sites must remove pirated content upon request or face legal consequences.
Legal Battle Against Dstorage
Nintendo originally sued Dstorage in 2021 after the company refused to take down pirated copies of its games. Despite repeated requests, the platform continued to host unauthorized content, prompting Nintendo to pursue legal action.
In April 2023, the Paris Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Nintendo, ordering Dstorage to pay €422,750 in damages and €25,000 in legal fees. However, Dstorage appealed to the French Supreme Court, arguing that a court order was necessary before removing any alleged copyright-infringing content. The Supreme Court rejected this defense, ruling that file-sharing sites must take down pirated material once notified by the copyright holder.
Impact on File-Sharing Sites
This ruling has broader implications for the entire gaming industry. Nintendo stated that this decision prevents file-hosting platforms from using legal loopholes to delay removing illegal content. The verdict confirms that copyright holders have the right to demand takedowns without requiring a prior court decision.
Nintendo’s Crackdown on Piracy
Nintendo has intensified its anti-piracy efforts in recent years. In November 2024, the company filed a lawsuit against James ‘Archbox’ Williams, accusing him of distributing pirated games. Around the same time, it pursued legal action against Ryan Michael Daly, However the owner of Modded Hardware, a website selling modded consoles, pirated games, and mod chips.
Additionally, in late 2024, another Switch emulator, Ryujinx, reportedly ceased development after a legal request from Nintendo.
A Stronger Stance Against Piracy
With this latest court victory, Nintendo has reinforced its aggressive stance against piracy. The ruling not only strengthens copyright protection for game developers but also puts file-sharing sites on notice. Platforms hosting pirated content can no longer delay takedown requests by claiming legal ambiguity.
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