Across four separate DMCA notices, Nintendo targeted mod chip firmware as well as the Switch emulators Yuzu and Citron Neo. GitHub complied by taking down 144 repositories containing software designed to flash hardware like Picofly mod chips. The company stated these technological protection measures ensure consoles only run authorized, legitimate games. Despite these extensive removals, reports indicate that some targeted firmware remains hosted in other locations across the platform.
Key points
Nintendo maintains that technological protection measures are necessary to stop game copy…: Nintendo maintains that technological protection measures are necessary to stop game copying onto unauthorized devices.
The company previously executed a 2024 enforcement action that successfully eliminated 8,…: The company previously executed a 2024 enforcement action that successfully eliminated 8,500 copies of the Yuzu emulator.
Other video game publishers like Rockstar and Bethesda are simultaneously taking down una…: Other video game publishers like Rockstar and Bethesda are simultaneously taking down unauthorized fan projects.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Nintendo has sent four DMCA takedown notices to GitHub targeting two Nintendo Switch emulators, Yuzu and Citron Neo, along with mod chip firmware.
This isn't the first time Nintendo has sent takedown notices to GitHub, and it's not even the first time it's tried to take down Yuzu, but the focus this time around seems to be on firmware for mod chips. This particular firmware had 144 repositories, all of which have been removed by GitHub and replaced by a DMCA takedown notice. Mod chips like Picofly can be soldered onto the Nintendo Switch's mainboard, and can be flashed with this firmware to circumvent Nintendo's copy protection.
GitHub has posted Nintendo's November 6 DMCA notice, which says, "The Nintendo Switch console and video games contain technological protection measures ('TPMs') that permit the Nintendo Switch console to interact only with legitimate Nintendo video game files. This process protects Nintendo’s copyright-protected video games, (...) by preventing users from playing pirated copies of Nintendo’s video games on the Nintendo Switch console and by preventing users from unlawfully copying and playing Nintendo’s video games…
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