Nintendo has issued a number of DMCA requests against him SteamGridDB (SGDB), a site that hosts icons and fan-made images used to represent games on the Steam front end.
Since 2015, the SGDB collection has grown to include hundreds of thousands of images representing tens of thousands of titles. It includes custom images for many standard Steam games as well as emulated ROMs for games, which can also Added to Steam as “External Game. “
To be clear, SteamGridDB does not host the type of ROM file it contains Another site has been in legal trouble with Nintendo, or even the emulator used to run the game. “We absolutely do not support piracy,” an SGDB official told Ars (on condition of anonymity). “This website is just a free repository where people can share options for customizing their player.”
But in a series of DMCA submissions seen by Ars Technica dated Oct. 27, Nintendo said some of the images in the SGDB “feature Nintendo trademarks and other intellectual property (including characters) that have the potential to cause confusion in consumers”. Therefore, dozens of SGDB images have been replaced with blank images displaying the text “This asset has been removed in response to a DMCA takedown request” (you can see specific images that have been removed at This snippet from the Internet Archive Since April and compare with How does the list look now?).
This is Nintendo
SGDB officials said they were “not at all surprised” by Nintendo’s DMCA request and added that they “have obtained several from other publishers in the past and have complied with them.” However, while pressed, admins can think of only a few DMCA requests the site has received since its inception in 2015.
So far, Nintendo’s DMCA has asked to focus on images for only five Switch games listed in the SGDB: Pokémon Red & YoungAnd Platoon 3And Super Mario OdysseyAnd The Legend of Zelda: Wild BreathAnd Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Other Switch games listed on the site (several Display exactly the same font) is not affected, as are the pictures Lots of old Nintendo titles.
SGDB directors told Ars they were “not exactly sure” why Nintendo’s request would be so targeted. “I don’t know what’s going on in their legal department.”
Also for the Switch game in question, the DMCA filing focuses on images that “directly exploit sprites and assets from [Nintendo’s] IP”, according to the official SGDB. Nintendo’s claims to date appear to have ignored “completely original creations” and “pure fan art” even when the graphics include original Nintendo character art.
It’s unclear whether these types of images fall under a different legal standard in this case. “Should an IP holder request that the original creation be removed, I will find the best way to handle this when that happens,” the official said. This site is mostly just fan art and we are open for editors to contact and discuss any concerns they may have. [The] The best way to find a good course of action is to discuss your options.
Nintendo’s removal of SGDB comes months after the company used a similar claim against YouTube videos Describe how to install the Switch emulator on Steam Deck. Previously, companies used DMCA requests for everything from fan game for me Modern games and watch hacking videos for me Mario themed Crafts of Maine video.
“In a world of companies working ferociously to control their narratives at the expense of research and referencing, Nintendo stands above Monsanto, the coal companies and the masses,” Jason Scott of the Internet Archive He told Ars in 2018. “You expect feelings when people talk about old video games, but fear shouldn’t be one of them.”
