19-Year Old College Student Arrested for Posting Wii Homebrew Piracy

[Deleted User]

A Japanese 19-year old college student was recently arrested for posting free Wii piracy homebrew that allowed customers to play/watch illegal software onto the internet. It violates the Unfair Competition Prevention Law. The program was downloaded 6,500 times since February, and the disgraceful college student earned roughly ¥200,000 (US$2,500) from ads. This is the first arrest of it's kind in Japan.

Kotaku​

 

[Veho]

the disgraceful college student earned roughly ¥200,000 (US$2,500) from ads

Well there's the problem.

 

[Foxi4]

What kind of "Wii Piracy Homebrew" are we talking about?

Because if he was posting repacks of HBC a'la Hombreware or Wiiunlocker then it serves him right.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

What kind of "Wii Piracy Homebrew" are we talking about?

Because if he was posting repacks of HBC a'la Hombreware or Wiiunlocker then it serves him right.

The fact that he was selling it makes it pretty crap either way. He either took someone else's work and sold it for a profit to himself or tricked people out of getting the better, free alternative and offered some half assed alternative.

 

[BORTZ]

This kid sound like he deserved to get arrested.

 

[Deleted User]

What kind of "Wii Piracy Homebrew" are we talking about?

The kind that lets you play/watch illegal stuff. All for free.

 

[jalaneme]

i was going to say that it was only homebrew, but the fact that he made a profit from it then he deserves what he gets.

 

[Foxi4]

What kind of "Wii Piracy Homebrew" are we talking about?

The kind that lets you play/watch illegal stuff. All for free.

I'm interested in the specific name, or at least the type of the program. If someone finds a "better" source, do post if it was some sort of a loader repack or a HBC repack. In either case, if it wasn't his work then serves him right.

By the way, Amano, at the end of the day it's the End-User's choice to pirate - backup loaders are made to boot your *backups*, not downloaded illegal ISO's/WAD's.

 

[Sheimi]

The guy got profit from this. He deserved to get arrested.

 

[Deleted User]

What kind of "Wii Piracy Homebrew" are we talking about?

The kind that lets you play/watch illegal stuff. All for free.

I'm interested in the specific name, or at least the type of the program. If someone finds a "better" source, do post if it was some sort of a loader repack or a HBC repack. In either case, if it wasn't his work then serves him right.

By the way, Amano, at the end of the day it's the End-User's choice to pirate - backup loaders are made to boot your *backups*, not downloaded illegal ISO's/WAD's.

I don't think they'll reveal the name, just to make sure. Also, I'm pretty sure it isn't a backup loader, and he instead implemented a function that let them download movies and games for free, although I'm not sure. *loads up Google translate*

 

[Fishaman P]

If he were charging to do the installation for people, that's fair.
It's also fair to post the stuff on a website for free, and then make money off ads.

However, anything Homebreware-like should be banned.

 

[Deleted User]

Here's what Google Translate said, although take this with a grain a salt.

As provided on the Internet malicious programs to allow you to start the software piracy "(We) Wii" home-use game machine Nintendo, Saitama prefectural police are up to 3 days, on suspicion of violating the Unfair Competition Prevention Law, Kyoto Prefecture arrest (19) 2-year-old boy city university of direction, the prosecutors.

　According to the police, it seized on suspicion of providing unauthorized programs on the net that the nation's first home-use game machine.

　Suspect arrested, February 28, has been to allow people to download malicious programs run through the site yourself, he has provided to an unspecified number of people.

　Started offering from the end of February, there was a download of about 6,500 times in three months. Had gained about 200,000 yen from December 2010 as revenue from ads shown on the site.

　Investigators of the police in December last year, I found a site with cyber patrol.

 

[Flame]

if he was selling HBC, then screw him.​

 

[Gahars]

The system works.

 

[DJPlace]

man this guy must be an idiot or a stupid noob from here TRLOLOLOLOLOOL!! if i want to priacy things i would never sell it.

 

[Devin]

man this guy must be an idiot or a stupid noob from here TRLOLOLOLOLOOL!! if i want to priacy things i would never sell it.

He didn't sell them. He posted them on his website, with ads and got revenue through the ads.

 

[Flame]

man this guy must be an idiot or a stupid noob from here TRLOLOLOLOLOOL!! if i want to priacy things i would never sell it.

He didn't sell them. He posted them on his website, with ads and got revenue through the ads.

wait.... doesn't gbatemp/filetrip do that?

 

[ZAFDeltaForce]

if he was selling HBC, then screw him.​

He did not.

He made his money from ads posted on his website.

wait.... doesn't gbatemp/filetrip do that?

Filetrip does not host illegal files; it hosts user created homebrew files.

They may be freely distributed so long as the user does not profiteer from nor modify the files without the author's consent.

 

[snakepliskin2334]

What kind of "Wii Piracy Homebrew" are we talking about?

Because if he was posting repacks of HBC a'la Hombreware or Wiiunlocker then it serves him right.

The fact that he was selling it makes it pretty crap either way. He either took someone else's work and sold it for a profit to himself or tricked people out of getting the better, free alternative and offered some half assed alternative.

sure just like the way bill gates used someone else homebrew os software to creat (dos) disk operating system when he was trying to get on board with ibm ... fail....

 

[Redhorse]

from what I read it does not say he sold it. it says he posted it free, if I understand it correctly. The income was from advertising, not selling the software.... Sounds like their startting a trend and making an example out of him, as in the article below:

Man Fined but No Jail For Piracy, Local Sherrifs Upset

There was a local case similar here in Florida USA, where a guy was modding Wii s and selling them on Craigs llsit. He got a 11,000, USD fine , no jail time but the local sherrif who arrested him was mad because the accused got no jail time. The accused's wife was fined just for posting it.

The prosecuters explained that to fully prosecute the case would have costed over $75,000.000 to fly in all the experts needed, from all over the world, to testify and fully prosecute. IN other words, the prosecuter settled out of court...

"Fully prosecuting would have been questionable considering they were older games..." .. (thier words not mine) Nintendo was fine with the no jail thing though... Just happened recently. Seems many locations are doing the same type of thing, charging people with crimes for things that have been done for years now..., pressing issues that are legally questionable.

I think they are trying to find out what will stick and what will not.

The prosecution would have costed more than the fines would have totaled.