Italian YouTuber Risks Jail for Emulating Games on Android
▼ Summary
– Android gaming handhelds often include illegal game ROMs, enabling console emulation beyond standard Android games.
– Italian YouTuber Once Were Nerd faces potential criminal charges after authorities confiscated his consoles for promoting pirated games.
– These handhelds, like those from Anbernic, run modified Android with built-in emulators and preloaded ROMs, making them popular but legally questionable.
– Italy’s Guardia di Finanza accused the YouTuber of copyright violations, seizing devices and investigating his correspondence with manufacturers.
– The legal gray area stems from Chinese manufacturers evading Western copyright laws, while Italy enforces strict penalties, including channel shutdowns.
The world of retro gaming emulation has taken a dramatic turn as an Italian content creator faces potential jail time for showcasing Android-powered handheld consoles. Known online as Once Were Nerd, the YouTuber found himself at the center of a legal storm when Italian financial police raided his home, seizing devices and threatening criminal charges over alleged copyright violations.
Specializing in reviews of budget gaming hardware, Once Were Nerd built his channel around devices like the Anbernic, Powkiddy, and TrimUI, affordable Android-based systems preloaded with emulators for classic consoles. While emulation itself isn’t illegal, many of these imported handhelds come bundled with thousands of unauthorized game ROMs, putting them in a legal gray area. Authorities zeroed in on the creator after his videos demonstrated Nintendo and Sony titles running on the devices, accusing him of promoting piracy.
In April, officers from Italy’s Guardia di Finanza arrived with a warrant, confiscating over 30 consoles and demanding access to communications with manufacturers. The investigation hinges on Article 171 of Italy’s copyright law, which carries penalties of up to three years in prison for distributing protected content. Though Once Were Nerd maintains his innocence, arguing he merely reviewed hardware, prosecutors could still pursue charges or even shutter his channel pending the outcome.
The case highlights the risks surrounding China-made emulation devices, which often skirt copyright laws by shipping with preloaded games. Companies like Anbernic advertise systems as supporting “7,000+ games” without explicitly acknowledging the legal implications. While manufacturers operate beyond the reach of Western courts, influencers reviewing these products increasingly face scrutiny.
Italy has a reputation for aggressive copyright enforcement, recently pressuring tech firms to block unauthorized sports streams. With Nintendo and Sony historically vigilant about protecting their IP, the outcome of this case could set a precedent for how creators cover emulation hardware moving forward. For now, Once Were Nerd’s future hangs in the balance as authorities decide whether his videos crossed the line from commentary to promotion of piracy.
(Source: Wired)
