Eight Enterprises Brought to Justice for Modification of Console and Distribution of Pirated Optical Disks Without License. Microsoft Intends to Initiate Legal Action in Taiwan.

The first hot game video console modification case was seized in Taiwan.  Department of Investigation in Kaohsiung City busted eight enterprises locally.  The loss was preliminarily estimated to be no less than NT$50,000,000.  Nintendo and Microsoft Taiwan send its personnel to deal with the case and intend to initiate legal action against the enterprises by operation of Copyright Act and Trademark Act.

The Department of Investigation in Kaohsiung City seized 15 Nintendo Wii consoles and 14 Microsoft X-box 360 consoles modified without license, 3 mobile hard drives, 7 CD-ROMs, memory cards for modification software, adapter cards and relevant sales books from enterprises such as Chao Wei and Dinosaur in Kaohsiung City, in addition to pirated optical disks totaling 450 pieces, and also interrogated the 8 enterprises' responsible persons suspected of violating Copyright Act and Trademark Act.

Nintendo and Microsoft headquarters pay serious attention to this severe raid action relating to infringement upon intellectual property rights conducted by our investigation and prosecution authorities and also show high recognition and appreciation.  Especially, Microsoft never initiated any action against modification of X-box console in Taiwan in the past.  Therefore, this raid action can be viewed as our Government’s determination to attack counterfeits together with copyright owners hoping to stop the trend of piracy.

The Department of Investigation in Kaohsiung City also emphasized that enterprises should not engage in activities that infringing upon another person’s intellectual property rights, such as modification of consoles without license, reproduction of another person’s work and distribution of pirated optical disks, and also called on consumers to stop purchasing counterfeit product as the Government would continue combating counterfeit products painstakingly and asserting its determination to protect intellectual property rights.  (2010.10)
/DC