Nintendo and 54 other software companies have filed a lawsuit against Japan-based companies who are actively importing R4 (Revolution for DS) devices and similar tools from China. The case was filed with the Tokyo District Court on the grounds of the Unfair Competition Prevention Law.

Nintendo has been keen on the matter since 2007 and has condemned the use of R4, saying "it is causing severe damage to our company and software makers, and this is something that we cannot possibly overlook."

The R4 gives way to easy software piracy by fooling the DS into running ROMs downloaded from the Internet. The R4 device can be inserted into the DS cartridge slot with a Micro SD card loaded in it to supply the data. The Micro SD can be removed and fitted to a USB drive to allow data transfer from PCs to the storage medium.

Nintendo has so far been successful in pressuring some electronics stores in Japan to stop selling the devices. The lawsuit recently filed is still pending and covers Japan only, leaving manufacturers outside still free to go about their trade.

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