14 DAY TRIAL // When people think of terrorism, they think of the 9/11 attacks, of wars in the Middle East or of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. But now, Yutaka Kubota, who is the head of the Association of Copyright for Computer Software in Japan, wants you to associate terrorism with videogame piracy in general and with piracy on the Nintendo DS in particular.
His views were expressed in the well-known Famitsu magazine and tech.radar has translated them. Kubota said that “This is an issue that affects our national interests and, personally, I see it as a form of information terrorism that is crushing Japan's industry.”
Apparently, the Association of Copyright for Computer Software of Japan has very close ties with Nintendo, which manufactures the DS and publishes some of the best selling titles on the handheld.
At the moment, Nintendo says that about 120 million bootleg copies of its videogames are downloaded in one year, which means that the same number of boxed copies are not registered as sales by the company. Modding the Nintendo DS and then installing bootleg copies is not illegal in Japan.
Probably the statement made by Kubota is one of the first salvos in a battle fought over legislation that would make it illegal to download bootleg Nintendo DS videogames. Such legislation could be introduced as early as this year, given the pressure that Nintendo seems to be applying. Still, the terrorism comparison is a bit heavy handed, given the fact that losses from videogame piracy are at the most economic, while victims of real terrorism tend to be living, breathing humans.
Sony and Nintendo are taking steps to limit the impact of piracy on their handhelds. At the moment, the Nintendo DSi can get some of its content via digital download, which limits piracy, while Sony is widely thought to be ready to unveil the PlayStation Portable Go!, which is set to also receive content via the Internet.