If you're aware of companies like Anbernic and PowKiddy, then you'll also be aware that almost all of their devices ship with MicroSD cards full of ROMs – none of which should be included under copyright law.
As you can imagine, copyright holders are less than thrilled about this, and Nintendo recently took action to prevent its games from being shown off in video reviews of these devices. As a consequence, many manufacturers have started to remove Nintendo games from their pre-loaded libraries.
This has now been taken a step further, with Italian YouTuber Once Were Nerd – who, in addition to covering retro, also reviews emulation handhelds – having his home raided by customs enforcement officers from the Guardia di Finanza armed with a search warrant to investigate "the promotion of pirated materials."
This raid took place on April 15 (thanks, Android Authority), and the YouTuber says that more than 30 consoles were taken, including ones made by Anbernic, PowKiddy and TrimUI. Customs officers also took his smartphone, and said it would be returned within days – in fact, he didn't get it back for another month.
Once Were Nerd points out that he is unaware of what the charges against him might actually be, as under Italian law, this is not disclosed until the investigation is concluded. However, "reproduction of copyrighted materials" was mentioned in the initial complaint, and both Sony and Nintendo's names are listed. However, this doesn't necessarily mean these two companies are involved with the case. For his part, Once Were Nerd complied fully with the officials, as he didn't initially think he had done anything wrong.
The YouTuber says that officials have claimed his reviews of such emulation devices are punishable under Article 171 ter of the Italian Copyright Law. The maximum fine is €15,000 (around $17,000) and three years in jail. Once Were Nerd could also have his channel closed down.
The Italian police have taken a hard line against similar devices in the past. Last year, a haul of counterfeit retro game consoles worth almost €50m ($55.5m) was seized.