Parody Post About Nintendo’s IP Bullying Hits All The Right Notes
from the it's-a-me dept
When I repeatedly use Nintendo as something of a virtual punching bag, it pisses off some of the company’s loyal fans. This has never made sense to me. Those fans should be pissed at Nintendo and all the different avenues the company takes just to make sure being a Nintendo fan is as difficult as possible. After all, it’s not like I’m just making this stuff up. Nintendo really is the Disney of the video game world when it comes to being an IP protectionist bully.
It is so bad, in fact, that you’ll come across parody posts on sites discussing made up bullying actions and relating them back to Nintendo. Earlier this year, for instance, we discussed a post on hard-drive.net, one which is clearly parody, talking about Sega undergoing a heel-turn and deciding to be an IP bully. Or, as the post put it, “go full Nintendo.” It was close enough to sounding real to be funny, but it was parody.
Well, that same site is back with another parody article, but this time they decided to dive into the purely absurd.
KYOTO, Japan — Video game giant Nintendo has recently filed a copyright claim on the country of Italy, according to a company press conference.
“It is after much deliberation and discussion that Nintendo has come to the conclusion that we will be filing a copyright claim against Italy,” Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa said during a pre-recorded address uploaded to the official company YouTube channel. “The clear instances of infringement, such as adding ‘-a’ to the end of words, growing mustaches, and eating mushrooms, that have been occurring within Italy have gone unchecked for too long. It is our job to protect the hard work of our staff and executives.”
Unlike the Sega post, this one is obviously not believable. However, just like the Sega post, the only reason any of this is actually funny is because of how already absurd the behavior of Nintendo is when it comes to intellectual property matters. No, the company isn’t going to sue Italy over the supposed existence of stereotypical “Italians”. But the company’s actual IP enforcement actions are so silly and overwrought that the joke still works.
The rest of the post is short but worth reading. It has a fake quote from a big Nintendo fan that, by my reading, is fairly spot on. It’s complete with all the apologies and excuses those that remain Nintendo fans tend to roll out when the company is criticized. Having been on the receiving end, I suppose I now know what it feels like to say anything less than glorifying Elon Musk. The vibes seem to be the same.
So, it’s funny, but also kind of not funny. This is the sort of thing that only works because Nintendo really is an IP bully and maximalist company.
Filed Under: copyright, ip enforcement, parody
Companies: nintendo
Comments on “Parody Post About Nintendo’s IP Bullying Hits All The Right Notes”
Poe's Law?
I think we need a separate term for Nintendo’s copyright extremism and how far it has gone so that no-one can tell the difference between parody and real actions taken by Nintendo. Mario’s Law?
They feel they are being disloyal to the thing they love if they 2nd guess an IP decision.
See also: Cults, GQP
Next up, Tony Lama will go after Italy because its shape rips off one of their designs.
Of course, someone couldn’t desist from adding the obligatory “but it’s their legal right” comment. The parody level increases.
When I repeatedly use Nintendo as something of a virtual punching bag…
Careful, Tim. That’s Nintendo’s too. 😉
As the grandchild of Italians from Naples and generally from the Tuscany I am offended by the fact they did not mention lasagna and spaghetti 😀
Re:
They did say “afanabla” tho’.
Tim, were you the fanboi who bought 40K in Nintendo Stock so you could call into the meeting to ask if they would produce a sequel or bring back F-Zero ??
Re:
No…..but I would have if I’d thought of it.
Re: Re:
And 40K laying around…
But its a perfectly healthy fanbase…
eyes burst out of his head and circle the equator
It’s-a Me, SUE-rio!
(like ‘It’s-a Me, Mario!’ from Mario64)
I’ll see myself out now
Once the Mario Copyright Extension Act gets announced, then it will be very accurate to say that Nintendo is the Disney of video games in general.
Re:
Announcing the Mario Mario Protection Act.
Parody or not, as for Nintendo being the one to sue “Italy”, I thought that would really be Apple – for using the leading “i” in their name – copyright infringement. After all, whenever you see a leading “i”, you think Apple products.
Re:
Hey, don’t give another group of litigious bastards any ideas.