Nintendo asks US to address worldwide game piracy

Nintendo of America has asked the US Trade Representative to encourage governments around the world to take a more aggressive stance to combat piracy of Nintendo videogames and systems.

The company specifically targeted China, Korea, Brazil, Hong Kong, Paraguay and Mexico as problem areas.

Nintendo filed its comments under a process in which the US Trade Representative solicits input from the public to underscore specific areas of concern.

The ESA filed similar comments earlier in the week, alleging that piracy exceeds 80 or 90 per cent in some troubled areas.

"The unprecedented momentum enjoyed by Nintendo DS and Wii makes Nintendo an attractive target for counterfeiters," said Jodi Daugherty, Nintendo of America's senior director of anti-piracy.

"We estimate that in 2007, Nintendo - together with its publishers and developers - suffered nearly USD 975 million worldwide in lost sales as a result of piracy.

Nintendo will continue to work with governments around the world to aggressively curtail this illegal activity."

The company said that China remains the primary source of manufacturing pirated Nintendo games, but that Korea has emerged as the leader in distributing illegal game files via the Internet.

Brazil and Mexico also remain saturated with counterfeit Nintendo software, while Paraguay and Hong Kong continue to serve as major transshipment points for global distribution of illegal goods, Nintendo said.

The company is recommending stronger laws in all countries against the circumvention of technological security measures - such as game-copying devices and mod chips.