US district court issues restraining order against the import and sale of knockoff Nintendo devices; other investigations proceed around the country.
Nintendo of America announced today that it has obtained a temporary restraining order that will prevent unscrupulous retailers from importing and selling counterfeit versions of Nintendo games and hardware. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington has issued a court order against two companies, their officers, and employees.
U.S. marshals will seize the counterfeit products at shopping malls in the western Washington area. Nintendo is urging all mall management companies across the country to take action and close any such kiosks. The company is supporting more federal criminal investigations, and U.S. Customs has seized thousands of the devices at port of entry into the U.S.
Over the past few years, kiosks selling these devices have popped up in shopping malls across the country, usually during the holiday shopping season but sometimes year-round. The counterfeit game systems, which sell under names like "Power Player" and "Super Joystick," are shaped like Nintendo 64 controllers and contain a selection of about twenty games from the Nintendo Entertainment System, like Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros.