Nintendo’s Lawyer Reveals the Company’s Official Stance on Emulators

Mark
Nintendo's Lawyer Reveals the Company's Official Stance on Emulators
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Nintendo has been cracking down on emulators lately, which has caused some frustration among retro gaming fans. The company’s legal approach was recently explained by Koji Nishiura, a Nintendo patent attorney, as Automaton reports.

He discussed the company’s stance during a talk about intellectual property in the game industry at a Tokyo event in 2025.

Nishiura clarified that while emulators themselves are not illegal, they can become illegal depending on how they’re used. Emulators that copy elements from a game system, like software or specific features such as touch or gyroscopic controls, violate Nintendo’s copyrights.

This has been one of the key reasons behind Nintendo’s legal action against popular Switch emulators like Yuzu and Ryujinx, which bypass security measures and break Japan’s Unfair Competition Prevention Act.

Another issue comes up when emulators are used to download pirated games. Nishiura pointed out how pirated software hurts developers and damages the gaming industry.

He gave the example of the R4 card, a device that allowed people to play illegal copies of games. Nintendo won a big case against the R4 card in 2009, which led to import bans in Japan and the UK.

So, while emulators in themselves might not be outright illegal, it’s all about how they are used. Nintendo is focused on protecting its intellectual property and cracking down on anything that could lead to piracy or harm the industry.

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Mark is the kind of person who gets way too excited about new software updates and can’t resist taking apart gadgets—just to see if they can put them back together. With years of experience in tech journalism and a love for all things digital, Mark writes about the stories behind the screens, from game-changing innovations to the everyday tech that keeps life running smoothly. Outside of work, they’re the go-to “tech support” for friends and family, whether it’s fixing a printer that won’t cooperate or explaining why Grandma’s laptop keeps showing pop-ups. When Mark isn’t glued to their screen, they’re probably building their dream PC, rewatching sci-fi movies for the hundredth time, or testing a gadget that promises to “change everything.” Spoiler: they’ll let you know if it actually does.