A 36-year-old interior worker from Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, was arrested by the Kochi Prefectural Police on suspicion of violating the Unfair Competition Prevention Act. The man allegedly tampered with the abilities and personalities of Pokémon characters in the popular Nintendo Switch game “Pokémon Violet” and sold them. The suspect admitted to the charges, stating, “I did it to earn a living.”
According to the Cyber Crime Countermeasures Division of the prefectural police, the man is suspected of disabling the anti-tampering features of the game and using illegal tools to create and sell 15 tampered Pokémon for approximately 13,000 yen between December 2022 and March 2023. He also reportedly posted advertisements on websites that trade game items and characters, offering promotions like “Order six Pokémon now for 4,000 yen!”
Additionally, the prefectural police believe he earned several million yen by selling characters from other games and are investigating further offenses.
The Seriousness of Game Tampering in the Industry
This incident highlights the severity of fraudulent activities in the gaming industry. Tampering not only undermines the fairness of the game but also infringes on the copyrights and intellectual property rights of game developers. Furthermore, buyers may unknowingly participate in illegal activities, posing significant risks.
Legal Perspectives
This case encompasses several important legal issues. From the perspective of the Unfair Competition Prevention Act, selling tampered game characters likely constitutes an act that “harms business interests.” The Unfair Competition Prevention Act was enacted to protect the legitimate interests of businesses and promote fair competition in the market.
From the perspective of copyright law, tampering with the game also infringes on the rights of the copyright holder. Game software is protected by copyright law, and unauthorized modifications and commercial use of the content are illegal.
Impact on Consumers
From a consumer protection standpoint, this issue is also severe. Purchasing tampered game characters could lead consumers to inadvertently engage in illegal activities. Moreover, characters generated through illegal means might be detected by official game servers, leading to penalties such as account suspension.
Conclusion
This incident has highlighted the problems of fraudulent activities in the gaming industry. From both legal and consumer protection perspectives, such actions should be strictly prohibited. To enjoy games, it is crucial to adhere to fair rules and play through legitimate means.
