Nintendo has been on the warpath of late when it comes to copyright takedowns and disapproves of anyone using their intellectual property without permission. As a result, many users who want to discuss Nintendo’s history on YouTube or catalogue the old Nintendo Power magazines haven’t received a great deal of support. Unfortunately, this trend doesn’t look like changing anytime soon and it’s unlikely that Nintendo will suddenly support homages by dedicated fans. For example, the company recently sent a DMCA takedown notice to gamejolt.com which was hosting over 600 projects based on popular Nintendo property. The legal statement reads:
“These web pages display images of Nintendo’s video game characters in connection with unauthorized online games that copy the characters, music, and other features of Nintendo’s video games. The web site at gamejolt.com generates revenue from advertising banners displayed on the site and advertisements played while users wait for the games to load.”
“I have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted materials described above is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law. I hereby state that the information herein is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that I am authorized to act on Nintendo of America Inc.’s behalf.”
This is a shame because the individuals in question worked incredibly hard and employed a wide range of skills. In the long term, this isn’t helping Nintendo’s relationship with their fans and could make those who idolised the company quite angry. On the other hand, I do understand Nintendo’s point of view in trying to protect their intellectual property. As you can see, it’s a difficult situation but more flexibility is probably required.
Thank you RetroGamingMagazine for providing us with this information.
