Distributed in Akihabara! The dark side of pirated and fake goods [Incidents, Hobbies, Games]

We often see news about pirated goods, such as overseas vendors selling goods using doujinshi illustrations without permission on online shopping sites such as Amazon, but there have also been many incidents of pirated goods being distributed in Akihabara, which is full of games and hobby-related goods.
This time, we will introduce some incidents and happenings related to pirated copies in the Akihabara area.

Pirated Akihabara games

Magicon - A tool that took the world by storm

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" was a popular app in the late 2000s that allowed users to download and play illegally uploaded Nintendo DS software.マジコン" was distributed mainly in Akihabara in Japan.
During its heyday, it was sold all over the country and even became popular among kids.
At the time, I was working part-time at a toy store, distributing Pokemon data as a movie advance ticket bonus, and I remember encountering several parents and children who brought their Magic-Cons without any remorse.
Although Magicom was a rampant threat, it was quickly regulated and its sale was banned, but it is said that it continued to be sold for a while at street stalls on Junk Street.

Crane Game Laboratory -Pirate Goods as Prizes

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2016 "Crane Game Research Institutewas arrested for offering pirated merchandise based on the popular content "Love Live!" as prizes in games.
At the same time, all online games using ALL.Net at the affiliated arcade "Tri-Amusement Tower" were shut down, and it is widely rumored that this was a penalty for pirated prizes.
These arcades were operated by Try Co., Ltd., which then acquired the operating rights to them, and they were renovated by Eternal Amusement Co., Ltd., but they went bankrupt in 2020 due to the effects of COVID-19.

Lie? True? Urban legend? The dark and dangerous case files of arcade games

Akihabara hobby-related pirated goods

Counterfeit Cards - Beware of Flea Market Apps!

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It seems that the number of counterfeit cards is on the rise, riding on the growing trading card boom.
Although counterfeit cards have been around for a long time, many of them were of poor quality.
However, in recent years, counterfeiting techniques have become so sophisticated that counterfeits that are indistinguishable from the real thing to the untrained eye have appeared.
It has also been said that there has been an increase in cases of counterfeit products being listed, so please be careful when purchasing on Mercari, Yahoo! Auctions, etc.

The Dark Side of Trading Card Games (TCG): A Case File of Incidents Related to Merchandise Sales

Figures - Recent fakes have reached a new level

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Figures are a prime example of otaku goods that are often counterfeited.
In the past, counterfeit figures were often of poor quality, with rough edges and poor paintwork, but in recent years the technology has improved.
Some of them are made in genuine production factories, so it would be difficult for an amateur to tell the difference.
In light of this situation, figure manufacturers are also disseminating information about pirated copies.
https://partner.goodsmile.info/support/fake/listing/

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In addition, when it comes to robot toys, factories that have been contracted to produce by manufacturers are able to reuse the molds and sell their own original products, and individual dealers are able to freely turn garage kits they have made into plastic models and sell them.

Unofficial toys - not pirated

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It's not a pirated version, but this is what's currently common in the world of robot toys such as Transformers.Unofficial toys. "
The idea is to create and sell original robot toys that closely resemble specific robots.
In the early days of Transformers, they were sold as "add-ons," such as weapons and upgrade parts to improve appearance, but this gradually escalated.
They started selling finished robots in the normal way.
Currently, they can be found unassumingly on shelves in second-hand toy shops in Akihabara.
The reason why counterfeit products have become so widespread is that there is a tendency among toy nerds to think that anything is fine as long as it's cool or interesting, and in fact, to even prefer counterfeits to the real thing.
In fact, counterfeits often have higher second-hand prices.
Therefore, as long as the product is not of poor quality, people will accept it even if the copyright is questionable.

Counterfeit game software

Retro game software continues to become more expensive, especially cassette-type software such as Super Famicom, and there is a proliferation of elaborately crafted counterfeits, not only of the cassettes themselves but also of the packaging and instructions.
To prove their authenticity, second-hand stores often display and sell cassettes with their cases open and the circuit boards inside visible.
Be wary of used software that is in too good a condition for the price, as it may be a fake.

How to avoid buying pirated copies

So far, we have introduced various incidents related to pirated copies, but in order to avoid being caught with pirated copies,

Check the product condition and packaging carefully
Beware of products with unreasonably low prices
・When shopping online, carefully research the stores that sell the products.

It would be a good idea to at least pay attention to these points.
In this day and age, when even major online retailers like Amazon are selling pirated copies, the only person you can trust is yourself!
Determine the truth and survive!!