Nintendo Counterfeiter Stuck with $2.5 Million Bill

A Uruguayan man owes Nintendo $2.5 million after losing a civil suit brought on by the game giant, Nintendo announced Thursday. The Uruguayan Civil Court ruling resulted from a 2001 raid in Montevideo by the National Board of Intelligence, seizing approximately 30,000 counterfeit Nintendo products valued at more than $1 million. The amount of property made the raid the largest video game-related seizure in Uruguayan history, according to Nintendo. Even so, the man received an executive pardon for the criminal charges brought against him, at which time Nintendo pursued civil action. "This action exemplifies Nintendo's commitment to combat the international problem of product piracy," said Jodi Daugherty, a director of anti-piracy at Nintendo of America. "These types of illegal operations simply will not be tolerated and Nintendo will do everything in its power to protect its business and its customers." The civil claim charged the man with large scale sale and distribution of counterfeit Nintendo products, apparently a profitable business, as well as damage to Nintendo's reputation. The company did not reveal the Uruguayan counterfeiter's identity in the statement.