The RCMP Take Down Game Pirates in Canada

Vancouver, BC – (December 21, 2006) – The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and the Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESAC) joined today in commending the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for their December 14, 2006 raid of Toy Revenge, a retail outlet in the Admiralty Centre Mall in Richmond, British Columbia that was selling pirated entertainment software and modified PlayStation 2 consoles.

During the action, the RCMP seized a large quantity of pirated software for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS, modified PlayStation 2 and PSP game platforms, as well as consoles and other devices used to create and operate pirated games.

“This action is an important step toward reducing the availability of illegal copies of computer and video game software for sale, and sends a clear message that piracy will not be tolerated,” said Douglas Lowenstein, President of the ESA, the trade association that represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. “We are very pleased that RCMP is increasing its efforts to address the elevated level of software piracy in Canada.”

The ESA and its members have had an active enforcement program in Canada since 2004. Working with local counsel and investigators, the ESA identifies and monitors instances of pirate activity involving game software and supports the efforts of Canadian law enforcement to address such illegal activity. ESA and ESAC members, who publish and distribute video games in Canada, rely on the efforts of RCMP and other law enforcement agencies to stifle the growth of game piracy in order to protect the businesses of legitimate distributors and retailers of entertainment software.

“Enforcement actions such as this are a critical part of the effort to reduce retail piracy in the Vancouver area,” said Danielle Parr, Executive Director of the Entertainment Software Association of Canada. “As local video game publishers and retailers are harmed by competition from illegal copies of game software, we are very grateful for the RCMP’s continuing commitment to try and address the retail piracy that we see in cities throughout Canada. We hope this case will be prosecuted vigorously and result in the imposition of an appropriate level of punishment to deter others from engaging in this damaging activity.”

The Entertainment Software Association of Canada is the association exclusively dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of companies in Canada that publish and distribute video and computer games for video game consoles, personal computers, handheld devices and the Internet. Its members represent over 90 percent of the $645M in entertainment software sold in Canada in 2005. For more information on the ESAC and its programs, please visit www.theesa.ca .

The ESA is the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of the companies publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet. ESA members collectively account for more than 90 percent of the $7 billion in entertainment software sales in the U.S. in 2005, and billions more in export sales of entertainment software. For more information about the ESA, please visit www.theESA.com .