Nintendo issues copyright strike to YouTube channel specialising in emulation

Nintendo has issued a copyright strike against a YouTube channel that reviews emulation handhelds.

The channel in question, Retro Game Corps, describes itself as offering “in-depth reviews and showcases” as well as “emulation setup guides”. One of its more recent videos has received a copyright strike from Nintendo, marking a second strike for the channel.

“My Wii U video was taken down and I received another copyright strike, even though this showcase video was no different than all of the tech demos and reviews I have made on this channel previously,” Retro Game Corps owner Russ wrote in a statement on YouTube (thanks, TimeExtension).

Russ is now considering filing a counterclaim as he believes the video “was for educational use, transformative in nature, and had no effect on the market”.

“It was a demonstration of a console no longer for sale (even the Wii U eShop is closed, so the company itself has no means of earning revenue from Wii U sales),” Russ said. “However, I am reluctant to open that can of worms with a multi-billion dollar corporation, as their next step would be to file legal action.”

The YouTube channel said it will now need to adapt the way it approaches future videos. “I will no longer show any Nintendo games on-screen, which is a shame because I love using those games for my hardware demonstrations,” Russ wrote.

The channel is also going to blur out “any Nintendo game content” on its previous videos as a precaution. That includes “even innocuous content like NES games”.

“Unfortunately this is going to delay some video releases – my latest video should be up right now, but instead I have to re-edit and re-upload the video first,” Russ closed. “I know this is disappointing news, but with now two strikes on my channel, I don’t really have any other choice except to adjust accordingly. Thanks for your understanding.”

Nintendo is famously protective of its property. As Matt reported last night, Switch emulator Ryujinx has seemingly ceased development and been taken offline after its creator was contacted by Nintendo.

Meanwhile, Nintendo is currently suing Palworld developer Pocketpair for patent infringement.