The Dolphin Emulator Steam release has been delayed indefinitely due to a Nintendo DMCA notice
Valve removed Dolphin from Steam after receiving a DMCA takedown notice from Nintendo. In late March, the developers of Dolphin, an open-source emulator capable of running most GameCube and Wii games, said they planned to bring the free app to Valve’s store later this year. In a May 26 legal notice seen by PC Gamer, Nintendo’s legal team asked Valve to remove Dolphin from Steam, claiming that the emulator infringes on the company’s intellectual property rights.
Because the Dolphin Emulator infringes Nintendo’s intellectual property rights, including without limitation its rights under the anti-circumvention and anti-trafficking provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), 17 U.S.C. § 1201, we are providing you with this notice. undertakes to remove the Dolphin Emulator demo from the Steam Store,” the document says.
With the announcement, the Dolphin team has two options going forward. It can either file a countersuit against Valve, claiming that the emulator doesn’t violate the DMCA, as Nintendo claims, or it can choose to comply with the takedown notice. If the team files a counter-notification, Nintendo has two weeks to decide whether to file a lawsuit. As PC Gamer points out, it’s not clear if the company actually plans to take legal action against Dolphin. However, if the case goes to court, it could have far-reaching implications for simulators. Right now, the Dolphin team says they are deciding what to do next.
“It is with great disappointment that we have to announce that the release of Dolphin on Steam has been delayed indefinitely,” the Dolphin Emulation Project said on Friday. “Valve has notified us that Nintendo has issued a DMCA takedown against the Dolphin Steam page, and we have removed Dolphin from Steam until this is resolved. We are currently considering our options and will receive a more in-depth response in the near future.” . As of this writing, you can still download the Dolphin emulator from the project’s website and GitHub page. Dolphin Team did not receive a direct takedown notice from Nintendo.
