Nintendo is notorious for its copyright infringement policies where the company takes people to court quite frequently, demanding huge sums of money for violations. Back in 2018, the Japanese firm reached a $12 million settlement with a married couple who operated ROM websites.
While there has been no indication that Nintendo is actively involved in the case, a 27-year-old has now been arrested in Japan for selling modified save data for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Japanese media outlet SoraNews24 reports that Chinese national, 27-year-old Ichimin Sho has been arrested in Tokyo because he was selling altered save data for Nintendo"s massively popular 2017 title. Sho posted ads on e-commerce websites selling "ultimate save data" for 3,500 yen ($32). This item would include whatever perks, stats, and rare items the buyer wanted.
The ad caught the attention of the Niigata Prefectural Police who proceeded to arrest Sho on Thursday for violating Japan"s "Unfair Competition Prevention Act". Given the name of act, one could wonder about how Sho"s actions in a single player game impact the competition, but it is important to know that his exact violation relates to "providing services to circumvent the technical restrictions" on the Nintendo Switch.
The case is certainly quite unique in nature. Sho claims that he only distributed altered save data, the modification itself was handled by an accomplice, who is currently unidentified. Sho has admitted to the charges against him, and also revealed that he has engaged in the activity since December 2019, and pocketed over 10 million yen (~$91,000) in the process. The report does not indicate that Nintendo is actively involved in the legal proceedings.
Source: Nintendo Life via SoraNews24