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Nintendo Bolsters Anti-Piracy Seizures in China
REDMOND, Washington - Feb. 11, 2003 - Nintendo of America Inc. today
announced three new seizures of counterfeit Game Boy games in the
People's Republic of China, expanding its record to 135 anti-piracy
raids against separate illegal manufacturers and retailers in that
country alone in 2002.
The January raids netted more than 300,000 pirated pieces of Game
Boy Advance packaging, manufacturing components and counterfeit
versions of current best sellers including Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon
Sapphire. In addition, three workers were found hiding inside
shipping boxes for fear of being caught by the Chinese authorities
for their involvement in counterfeit activities.
The raids targeted Guangdong Bu Bu Da Electronic Co., Ltd., Asik
Technology, Ltd., and Electronic Dragon Ltd., all in China's
Guangdong Province. Nintendo seized one million counterfeit products
in 2002, and estimates the counterfeiting of software cost the
company, together with its publishers and developers, $649 million
in lost sales worldwide last year.
"Nintendo has never been more aggressive in protecting our
unique global brand and our key intellectual properties and China
can expect the largest share of our attention again in 2003,"
says Jodi Daugherty, director, anti-piracy, Nintendo of America Inc.
Last year, in communications with the Office of the U.S. Trade
Representative, Nintendo identified the region of Hong Kong and the
countries of China, Mexico and Paraguay as failing to adequately
protect the company's intellectual property rights. Over the year,
seizures were conducted in each of these nations, as well as 14
others.
The most significant raid in 2002 occurred in September at the Lik
Sang International plant in Hong Kong, where the company
manufactured a device called the Flash Advance Linker, which allowed
users to make unlimited copies of Game Boy software products. Also,
in a separate action last October, Nintendo was awarded $1.5 million
in damages and an order allowing destruction of all manufacturing
and assembly equipment seized at an illegal counterfeit facility in
Panama.
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