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..."
All they have to do is make a Pokemon game, and then paint it 4 different colors.
....the president of Nintendo flew up into the air and coins exploded from his body?
...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.
Sounds like they are just trying to get some extra coin out of Nintendo. Bill Gates probably put them up to this!
Wow. That's quite an impassioned response to overpriced video games.
...or 1430000 extra lives! Game over!
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.
I think it's spelled cannoli, not conole. They are tasty though.
Economics 101:
Less demand ==> Lower prices
High demand ==> Higher prices
Nintendonomics:
Less demand ==> Higher prices
High demand ==> Higher prices
Nintenonomics == Price fixing
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!
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.
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."
You mean remember, right? ;)
Jaysyn
There is a war going on for your mind.
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
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
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?
LongTail SSH Brute Force analysis tool is here!
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.
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?
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."
I don't know about you guys but I thought it was quite funny that name of the EU spokesman is Mario...