Not sure about the details of this case -- if the alleged pirate was charging money for the DS titles, that would be theft. But downloading things for free is simply sharing, which shouldn't be illegal. My guess is that the Japanese copyright laws are as broken as the US laws, which makes sense -- they're written mostly by giant corporate monopolies, who have the lawyers and lobbyists to get their legislation.

We really need to start thinking of a future world where information gets shared freely, with minimal barriers. This idea of locking down code and criminalizing file-sharing does more harm than good over the long term. Companies and artists should make money in other ways: digital downloads, special value-added offers, live events, bonus packs and tie-ins, microtransactions, etc. If this hits the business model of corporate pigopolists, too bad -- then their business Empires are as unproductive and doomed as the Soviet Union.

Hope they do this with PSP everywhere.

Contrary to popular belief the publisher and developers make money off of rental games. There is a large chunk of people who will only buy games after they rent them or play the demo.  The rental store still has to buy these games. The sale of used games does not necessarily hurt the industry either otherwise they would find ways to eliminate chains like gamestop.  Here is the thing only about half of gamestop customers buy the used games, they buy often and usually in bulk.  These people are also usually hoarders meaning that they never trade back unless the game just sucks in which case the game usually has no value anyway, the only new games these people buy are the ones from the Platinum hits section. So this creates a bit of demand for used games which is good because this creates the other type of customer. This customer only likes new games and games that are current and it gets them to buy even more. This guy buys and trades a new game every 2 - 3 weeks that adds up to about 20 - 25 games per year.  This is similar to the guy who trades in his car every 2 years, if they didn't pay off his old car do you think he would still purchase the new one.  The guy that buys from the used car section never had any intentions of buying new.

We do need a future world were information can be shared but.....  You cannot allow people to download games, movies and songs for free.  As long as games and movies don't cost the earth, everyone should buy them and if you can't afford it you should do without it.

But no game should cost more than £35 UK pound and no moive should cost more than £10 simple as that.

I bet he learned his lesson now.

Next time you create something see how you like it if someone takes it from you and then profits by doing it.  What if someone decided to steal "pirate" your final presentation report in college and then sells it to the rest of the class.  Sort of cruel how it works when you are the victim isn't it.

I'v had all those happen to me.  Still doesn't change my oppion that prison is the right choice for this crime. Sure there dicks but prison?

Have you'v being to prison?  Have you worked at a prison?  Do you have family in prison?  Do you have family working at a prison?

No need to lie I bet you'v done piracy in some form but I bet thats ok.