apanese software makers say they have lost about 350 billion yen ($4 billion) to a cheap adapter that lets portable game players run illegally copied software.
The adapters cost from $20 to $40 and let players run pirated software once a memory device is inserted into the adapter, The Yomiuri Shimbun reported Sunday.
Japan’s Cultural Affairs Agency is considering imposing criminal penalties on the sale and use of the adapters and might change copyright laws to allow for prosecution, the report said.
The Computer Entertainment Suppliers Association of Tokyo said the adapters allow users to run illegally downloaded copies of programs and cost developers more than $4 billion from 2004 to 2009.
It said the devices became popular with the release of Nintendo DS portable game players in 2004, but their use may have other consequences.
The adapters could spread computer viruses that in some cases have resulted in personal data being published on the Internet, the report said.
Source:-http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2010/11/21/Adapters-cost-software-makers-billions/UPI-24071290351198/
