Interesting email.. NESREPRODUCTIONS.

[leonk]

I was away for the long weekend (Thanksgiving day here in Canada) and my service provider forwarded me the following e-mail that they got:

To Whom it May Concern:

The Following URL is hosted on your site,
http://www.nesreproductions.com is being used to sell illegal copyrighted
materials not owned by this person, but owned by NOA (Nintendo of America).
This is infringing on the intellectual property of NOA and is making a profit
off of NOA and the companys hired out by NOA to create these games. He is
download illegal roms (games) off of the internet, putting them onto the cart
himself, and then reselling someone else's work. This should end.

Sincerly,

Philip Acree
NOA

My service provider is nice enough to work with me on this. They feel I'm not doing anything wrong at this time. So? Does this look legit or do we have a person trying to impersenate Nintendo? Also, how would Nintendo find out about my site? I only advertise on 2 sites!


Sounds fishy..

[TRM]

I do not know whether the email is legit. However, there is something interesting here.

First your email account gets shut down, then you receive this email. Personally, I think that someone (we can all have our own speculations) is out to get your site...the reasons, we all can speculate on that as well.

Personally, since you are doing a favor to us (nes gamers), I really don't like to see people harassing you like this. Quite frankly, your prices are very reasonable, your work looks good, and you allow us gamers to play unreleased games on an actual NES. I hate playing games on emulation, so your service will prove to be very useful to me, once I get more money (october is a bad month for me, several people I have to buy birthday gifts for)

Anyway, that being said, it is obvious that the people who are against your service would be the NES collectors. Whether the email is legit or not, who knows. One of the people from this board could have easily pointed NOA toward your site.

[anagrama]

That email looks extremely fishy to me - pleanty of warning signs:

- I'd imagine that any reference to their own company would be Nintendo of America Ltd, or similar.

- spelling/grammar errors: "companys" rather than 'companies'; "He is download illegal roms"; "making a profit off of"; "off of the internet"; "sincerly" instead of "sincerely" etc.

- "This should end." - Surely Nintendo have the clout to threaten a sterner punishment, no?

- "illegal roms (games)" - that just doesn't sound like something an official complaint would say.

- lack of contact info - surely a Nintendo representative would give a return email address or phone number to enable the ISP to check that's it's not just some internet tosser with too much time on his hands, no?


I'm 100% convinced that this is a third-party try to sabotage your service.

[TheRedEye]

Nintendo goes through another company. Back when they targeted my site, I got a letter from some hired dipshits complaining of the illegal use of Nintendo copyrights, namely Mario and Donkey Kong. Also, Nintendo of America wouldn't sign their letters as being from "NOA."

EDIT: Also, that email was written by either an idiot or someone whose primary language is not English.

Also also, Nintendo of America's legal department is too busy staring at their office walls and hanging out at the water cooler to be bothered by such petty crap, you'll never be targeted.

By the by, your service provider is not legally allowed to do a damned thing to your site until the actual copyright holder(s) both contact and prove who they are. No one can shut your site down but Nintendo themselves, so if your isp or webhost gives you shit, find another one, because they're acting outside of the law.

And do us a favor, don't you dare mention Jason Wilson.

[leonk]

No..

it's not Jason Wilson. I want to publically appologize for pointing my finger too quickly last time. Jason has other things to worry about than reproductions.

To tell you the truth.. these days, I too have more important things to worry about than reproductions. I always knew that I wouldn't be the first (nor the last) to offer such a service.

It's just a shame that there are losers out there that don't have a single brain cell to come up with their own original idea. I guess that's what sets people apart.

[Jred]

I'm assuming someone else is selling nes repro carts now? Not that I care one way or the other, but I get about an email a week from different people asking to use the labels for this same sort of stuff.. So I'm sure we'll see even more people selling them as time goes on. As for originality, they aren't trying to copy you... People have been making game repros for a long time, it's just that the nes scene hasn't had anyone selling them so publicly until now. No need to get so worked up about others doing it... Once people see that it is accepted more and more will keep showing up to try. Look at the atari scene Oh, and as for the email... I'd vote fake as well. Way too many grammer errors, and just not written in that lovely form document kind of way that most companies send their threats in.

[leonk]

I don't want to turn this into a spitting match..

but when I said copying, I did not mean copying the idea. I mean stealing the actual work. When I posted your labels on my site, I gave you full credit, including a link to your site.

Others in this community literaly downloaded JPEG images of my labels off my site, and posted it on theirs claiming themselves to be the originating artwork creators. (when in fact it was me who spent hours creating them in photoshop!)

I never claimed to be the creator of any of the ROM images placed on the carts I produce. That's where the diffrerence lays.

[Jred]

Eh I don't keep up really.. I just check to make sure my labels don't end up on Ebay/etc and leave it at that. Basically I just make the labels I want, so that when I get motivated enough to buy an eprom burner I can go ahead and make all the carts for myself. If others use them, and give me credit, and don't try and sell them as something they aren't<--the big one, I have no problem.

[leorange]

http://www.assemblergames.com/phpbb2...er=asc&start=0

[TRM]

The topic or post you requested doesnt exist.

[Jred]

Register, sign in and check "log me on automaticly" then close that window and reclick his link.. Pain in the ass, but gets you to the post.

[leorange]

oops, forgot that you had to register before you could read there. sorry.

the post subject is "Someone report this guy...(to Nintendo)" and the message is a link to the nesreproductions site. and things kinda take off from there...

[TRM]

I'll tell you one thing, "an avid NES collector and gamer since 1999" sure impresses the hell out of me. rayer:
:smt043 :smt043 :smt043 :smt043 :smt043
~Krelian

Sure reflects the DP crowd.

[anagrama]

What a bunch of whining pricks. "It will devalue our collections, lets all rush and report him to Nintendo"
Think you've found your culprit, leonk.

Shame, 'cos Assembler is usually pretty good.

[AlanD]

My favorite part is they whine about how LeonK should not be profiting off the sale of the carts (which he may - barely) They then gripe that it will devalue the proto which they have no legal right to own and makes them look hypocritical since there they are worrying about the profit from sale of stolen intellectual properties. I also find it funny that almost none of them mind emulation at all or gripe about the people selling rom collections on ebay which amounts to the same thing they accuse Leon of doing.


PS - Leon: If you decide to quit selling them (and I hope you don't unless you decide to forgo the hassle) can you let me know so I can mirror your site for my own reference? I would like to have a copy when I build my own carts.

[leonk]

I don't like the way things are going..

#1 Everyone thinks I'm making a killing doing this. Well folks, let me be the first to tell you that there is no market for NES reproductions. Sales are much better in the ROM department (by looking at eBay.. I don't do this stuff) than reproductions.

#2 It's becoming a pain in the rear to find donor carts! I'm afraid the NES is going the way of the Atari and intelli here in Toronto.

So for the next little while, a toned down version of my site is up. When things clear up (talk the wife.. beg her to continue with my hobby.. I enjoy making the carts more than the few bucks I make) I'll restore the original site.

As always, if you want to order/talk about carts.. e-mail me.

[squirrelnut]

nevermind....

[gleavepaul]

As a member of both sites it pisses me off the flame war and name callings. I know some one sent that email as a spoof and as far as im concerned should be barred from both sites. There is no need for any flame wars- ever!

As for my 2 cents I dont like repros but if folk want them thats up to them as long as there maked as repros. Yeh its abit stupid people who collect dev stuff then have ago at folk doing repros - Both are tectnically breaking the law!!

But hey we all share a common intrest so lets just let it slide.


Group hug!!!!

[gleavepaul]

What a bunch of whining pricks. "It will devalue our collections, lets all rush and report him to Nintendo"
Think you've found your culprit, leonk.

Shame, 'cos Assembler is usually pretty good.

Aye one prick can spoil it for everyone (note there are pricks every where even on this site)

[anagrama]

Coming soon: Board Wars - DP versus Atari Age, Assembler, NeoGeo.com and anyone else who fancies a go

Just kidding, you're quite right in saying it's all a bunch of nonsense, though I couldn't help pointing out the hipocrasy at Assembler - this is the same board that helped organise the Propeller Arena debacle after all
We're all here because of a love of the games and should be able to keep it at that.