Nintendo of America tells Next-Gen that recent claims of a 90 percent DS software piracy rate are an exaggeration.
John Hillier, manager of ELSPA’s Intellectual Property Crime Unit, told The Sunday Post earlier this week that the R4 chip used to play pirated DS games is facilitating enormous piracy rates in the US.
“The implications are massive. In America it’s thought 90 percent of Nintendo DS users are playing pirated games because of R4s,” Hillier said.
But a Nintendo of America spokesperson countered Hillier’s comments in a Friday statement to Next-Gen.
"While the R4 and other game copying devices are available and cause Nintendo concern, they have not reached the mass market as indicated,” the rep said in an e-mail.
“Nintendo continues to be aggressive in taking action to protect the unparalleled creativity and innovation of its world famous game developers.”
The ELSPA had yet to reply to Next-Gen’s multiple requests for clarification of Hillier’s statements.