Copyright Violation, Nintendo Dolphin Emulator Removed from Steam
Telset.id, Jakarta – The Nintendo emulator named Dolphin has been removed by Valve from the Steam service after receiving notices of copyright infringement from Nintendo.
In late March developer Dolphin created an open source emulator that can run most of the GameCube and Nintendo Wiim titles and said that they plan to bring a free emulator to the Steam storefront.
Reported Telset from Engadget, in a May 26 legal notice seen by PC Gamers, Nintendo’s legal team asked Valve to remove Dolphin from Steam, claiming the emulator violated the company’s intellectual property rights.
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Documents from Nintendo’s legal team stated that the Dolphin emulator violated Nintendo’s intellectual property rights, including but not limited to its rights under the Anti-Circumvention and Anti-Trafficking Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) 17 USC § 1201 provisions.
“We are providing you with this notice of your obligation to remove the Dolphin emulator offering from the Steam store,” Nintendo’s legal team stated in the document.
With that notification, the emulator development team has two choices on how to move forward. The development team can file a counterclaim with Valve, arguing that the emulator does not violate the DMCA as claimed by Nintendo or can choose to comply with the takedown notice.
If the team files counter to the notice, Nintendo has two weeks to decide whether or not to file a lawsuit. According to the PC Gamer report, it’s unclear whether the company actually intends to take legal action against Dolphin.
However, if the case for this Nintendo emulator app goes to court, it could have a far-reaching impact on other emulators. For now, the Dolphin team says it’s deciding what to do next.
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“It is with great disappointment that we have to announce that the release of Dolphin on Steam has been postponed indefinitely,” said the Dolphin Emulator Project team on Friday.
“We were notified by the Valve team that Nintendo has issued this discontinuance and termination citing the DMCA against Dolphin, and have kept Dolphin removed from Steam until those issues are resolved. We are currently determining more in-depth steps in the near future,” added the Dolphin Emulator Project team.
At this time, gamers are still downloading the Dolphin emulator directly from the official website or from the GitHub page. Meanwhile, the Dolphin team received no immediate takedown notices from Nintendo. [FY/HBS]