A London High Court ruled today that R4 cards — devices that allow Nintendo DS users to run homebrew applications or pirated games — are illegal in the United Kingdom. What could this mean for the U.S.?

R4 cards banned in the UK

Nintendo, understandably, is pleased. In a statement obtained by MCVUK, the publisher claimed it initiated legal action against R4 card maker Playables Limited to protect itself and “over 1,400 video game development companies” from piracy. “In the UK alone,” the statement claimed, “there have been over 100,000 game copying devices seized since 2009.”

Playables Limited argued that their cards should be legal because the allow customers to develop homebrew applications. The judge in the case dismissed the argument on grounds that homebrew devs first had to circumvent Nintendo’s security systems to make any of their apps work.

Interestingly, new government rules in the United States announced Monday grant iPhone users the right to circumvent Apple’s security systems to make homebrew apps. This could cause Nintendo some problems down the line if they try to outlaw R4 cards in the U.S.

Source:
R4 made illegal in UK [MCVUK]

Got any tips, corrections, or feedback? Contact GamePro’s news team or follow the author of this story on Twitter.