Nintendo Demands Destruction of Illegally Reproduced Games by ROM Site Owner

Although Nintendo has made some efforts to retain access to games from their previous gaming systems, numerous titles, both well-known hits and niche favorites, remain inaccessible. Many players are forced to resort to paying exorbitant prices on platforms like eBay to acquire physical copies of these games legally. This scarcity has led to the widespread practice of emulation, where users run a game’s ROM file on a computer program. However, as seasoned members of the gaming community can attest, Nintendo vehemently opposes emulation and is willing to take aggressive actions to eradicate it.

Matthew Storman, the unfortunate individual targeted by Nintendo’s legal crackdown, was the proprietor of RomUniverse, a site specializing in distributing ROM files. In a legal battle initiated back in May, Nintendo accused Storman of both copyright and trademark infringement. The court ruled in Nintendo’s favor, ordering Storman to pay $2.1 million in damages through monthly installments. Nintendo also sought a permanent injunction to permanently shut down the site, but since Storman had already taken it offline, this measure was deemed unnecessary.

Nintendo has successfully obtained a permanent injunction against the owner of RomUniverse. https://t.co/og2eEURa1f

— PC Gamer (@pcgamer) August 16, 2021

However, Nintendo recently filed for a subsequent injunction, citing Storman’s hints at a potential site revival and his failure to make the initial damages payment. The court granted Nintendo’s request, imposing a stricter penalty on Storman. Apart from the financial restitution, Storman is now prohibited from reproducing, distributing, or even playing unauthorized copies of Nintendo games. Moreover, if he fails to completely eradicate his inventory of ROMs by August 17 and provide evidence of compliance by August 20, he will face additional legal consequences for perjury.