Italian customs destroy 12,000 counterfeit retro game consoles

Customs in Italy have dismantled a network that sold counterfeit retro games consoles from China. Customs arrested nine Italians and seized games consoles worth 50 million euros. They will be destroyed, writes the VRT.

The confiscated consoles looked very much like old Nintendo, Sega and Atari game consoles. They contained illegal copies of games such as Super Mario Bros and Street Fighter. It involved around 12,000 consoles with around 47 million copied games.

Retro consoles are popular and in high demand. The consoles seized by Italian customs did not meet European requirements and are therefore not allowed to be sold here. The consoles were ordered in China and then resold in physical stores and online from Italy. The authorities worked with Amazon, where the consoles were also offered.

According to the VRT, the people who were arrested risk prison sentences of up to eight years. They are being prosecuted for trading in counterfeit products, commercial fraud, receiving stolen goods and violating copyrights.

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Source: www.bright.nl