Nintendo has filed a lawsuit against the creators of Switch emulator “Yuzu”, Tropic Haze LLC. Read on to learn more about the allegations.
Nintendo Sues for Major DMCA Violation
Illegal Copies of Zelda TotK Downloaded Over 1M Times
According to court documents docked two days ago, Yuzu is described as a video game emulator that enables users to play pirated Nintendo Switch games on other unofficial devices. As per Nintendo, this was an unauthorized reproduction and distribution of its exclusive titles, which are intended solely for the Switch.
Furthermore, the gaming giant claimed that the creators of the Switch emulator unlawfully circumvented Nintendo's technological measures put in place to protect its intellectual property. The violation was "intentional, purposeful, and in disregard of and indifferent to the rights of Nintendo," as asserted by Nintendo.
The Yuzu creators were alleged to have violated the Anti-Circumvention and Anti-Trafficking provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
Such games distributed on the emulator include The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom which was stated to be unlawfully distributed a week and a half before its official release by Nintendo, and likewise, downloaded over 1 million times. Though the pirated copy is free, Yuzu launched a paid version which has been downloaded over 10,000 times, earning them at least $50,000 plus.
Nintendo also cited that other major titles, like Metroid Dread, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, and Pokémon Let’s Go, Eevee!, and Let’s Go, Pikachu!, were playable on Yuzu shortly after their release.
Nintendo sought various forms of relief in the lawsuit, including damages and a permanent injunction* against Tropic Haze LLC. Nintendo demanded the cessation of use of the domain name YUZU-EMU.ORG and its transfer to Nintendo's control, along with the destruction of all copies of the Yuzu emulator and related software.
- As defined, an injunction restrains a party from doing certain acts or requires a party to act in a certain way. Nintendo looks into taking the lawsuit to a trial by jury.
Source:
Nintendo of America Inc. v. Tropic Haze LLC, 1_24-Cv-00082, No. 1 D.R.I. Feb. 26, 2024
Nintendo suing creators of Switch emulator Yuzu
Nintendo says latest Zelda was pirated 1 million times pre-release as it sues Yuzu emulator creator
