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Nintendo Fined $143m for Price-Fixing

kyz writes "The BBC is reporting that the anti-trust branch of the European Commission has fined Nintendo 146 million euros (roughly $143m) for preventing its distributors from selling games as cheaply as they are sold in other European Union countries. For example, "prices of Nintendo products were up to 65% higher in Germany or the Netherlands than in Britain". Now if only the EU could do this with Microsoft, Levi Strauss and the MPAA members..."

23 of 428 comments (clear)

  1. $143 million dollars? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny



    All they have to do is make a Pokemon game, and then paint it 4 different colors.

  2. Do you think upon hearing the verdict.... by nooboob · · Score: 5, Funny

    ....the president of Nintendo flew up into the air and coins exploded from his body?

    1. Re:Do you think upon hearing the verdict.... by artemis67 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Only if King Bowser Koopa was presiding over the court and threw a turtle shell at him...

    2. Re:Do you think upon hearing the verdict.... by FortKnox · · Score: 3, Funny

      actually, I heard that the bricks of the Nintendo Complex in Japan are engineered pretty cleverly.
      If you take one and smack your head into it, a coin pops out of the other end.
      They'll have the cash in no time.

      --
      Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
  3. It has also been reported... by cornjchob · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...that as part of the ruling, the head executives of the branches of Nintendo International concerned with this case will have large barrels hurled at them by a giant ape while trying to get up several stories of floors. In a press release, one of the executives said simply, "BEEP."

    --
    We now have confirmed reports from an informed Orange County minister that Ethel is still an active communist.
  4. Conspiracy by cyberise · · Score: 2, Funny

    Sounds like they are just trying to get some extra coin out of Nintendo. Bill Gates probably put them up to this!

  5. Re:Good for them by kingpin2k · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wow. That's quite an impassioned response to overpriced video games.

  6. $ 143 million... by weird+mehgny · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...or 1430000 extra lives! Game over!

  7. Trickle-down effect by ohboy-sleep · · Score: 5, Funny

    Because of this Nintendo will have to cut prices across the board. The red potion in the original Zelda will only cost 20, and you only need 80 coins in Super Mario Bros. to get an extra life.

  8. Re:Ahem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I think it's spelled cannoli, not conole. They are tasty though.

  9. Re:So... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Economics 101:

    Less demand ==> Lower prices
    High demand ==> Higher prices

    Nintendonomics:
    Less demand ==> Higher prices
    High demand ==> Higher prices

    Nintenonomics == Price fixing

  10. Re:Nintendo never changes by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is that what happens when you register stuff? If I had known that I wouldn't have made a 'frrpbpb' noise and tossed all those cards away!

  11. Nintendo's reaction: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The lead attorney for Nintendo, upon hearing the verdict, angrily tried shutting off the power to the courtroom while screaming "FUCK THAT SHIT MAN, THE FUCKING SYSTEM CHEATS! I HAD THIS SUIT WON".

    Other attorneys on the case were quoted as saying that the lead attorney had a copy of the trial saved on a memory card, and would try his closing arguments over and over again until he won.

    1. Re:Nintendo's reaction: by unicron · · Score: 3, Funny

      Someone told me that the judge held Nintendo's lawyers in contempt because he noticed they had their briefcases plugged into big ass game sharks.

      --
      Finally, math books without any of that base 6 crap in them.
  12. So What? by 4of12 · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is an important less, corporate boys and girls.

    If you're fixing prices, then you'd better make sure that you charge the same high price in every single country in the EU.

    Got that?

    You can still catch flak for uniformly high pricing, though, but it beats this kind of bad press and fine crap.

    --
    "Provided by the management for your protection."
  13. Re:Ahem by Jaysyn · · Score: 2, Funny

    You mean remember, right? ;)

    Jaysyn

    --
    There is a war going on for your mind.
  14. THis is very un Nintendo-like by Sivar · · Score: 3, Funny

    Hopefully they won't try this kind of BS again. Nintendo has existed for over 100 years and, as far as large media companies go, has been very ethical.

    --
    Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes. --E. W. Dijkstra
  15. Recently Overheard in the Castle by murky.waters · · Score: 2, Funny
    Mario to Luigi: "Ah, I think-ah we better pimp out tha Princess!"

    Luigi: "Yessah, to make-eh some extra gold coins, eh!"

    Princess: "Oh, dear."

    --
    Imagine the Creator as a stand up commedian - and at once the world becomes explicable. -Mencken
  16. Re:Basic rights by CSG_SurferDude · · Score: 3, Funny

    My government takes 55% of my income EVERY year.

    I'd like to make a suggestion here....

    Maybe it's time to find a new accountant?

  17. Re:Sounds like DVD region encoding to me... by Kombat · · Score: 4, Funny
    The distributors want to extract as much money as they can from each market

    Those bastards! I suppose you work for free then? I suppose you believe that investors should just randomly invest their money in companies, rather than favouring those who tend to turn the biggest profit? Perhaps in your view, we should do away with the whole concept of "money" altogether?

    Go back to China, pinko commie.

    --
    Like woodworking? Build your own picture frames.
  18. So who can we buy video games from.... by Suicide · · Score: 3, Funny

    Microsoft is evil. Sony is part of the MPAA. And now Nintendo is doing bad things.

    I just want to know who I can buy console from and not feel guilty. Where is Atari when you need them?

  19. Re:Nintendo never changes by Alzheimers · · Score: 2, Funny

    Actually, it was a COUPON which was for $5 dollars off your next purchase. I remember my parents taking it "To give to Santa Claus."

  20. Mario is attacking Nintendo by Hamstro · · Score: 2, Funny

    I don't know about you guys but I thought it was quite funny that name of the EU spokesman is Mario...