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Taken from bbc.co.uk
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"Nintendo has been fined 146m euros (£92.1m) by the European Commission for trying to rig the computer game market.
The firm has been, with seven distributors, found guilty by commission anti-trust officials of attempting to keep prices artificially high in some EU states between 1991 and 1998.
The severity of the fine, the fourth highest ever meted out by commission trade watchdogs for a single offence, reflected Nintendo's role as "the driving force behind the illicit behaviour", the commission said.
The distributors, including Scotland-based John Menzies, were fined 21m euros.
Appeal:
But Nintendo said it would fight the penalty.
"In view of the size of the fine, which Nintendo finds surprising, Nintendo will lodge an appeal," the company said.
While accepting that it had broken EU rules, the firm said it had reformed its practices.
John Menzies, which said its fine of £5.4m was "totally disproportionate", said it was considering legal options.
The firm was implicated through its THE Games unit between 1995 and 1997.
"We feel that the commission has not fully recognised... [its] earlier acceptance that this was a mistake, not a deliberate transgression; that THE Games was more victim than villain," Menzies chief executive, David Mackay said.
Price differences:
The fines follow a two-year probe by the commission into claims that Nintendo prevented distributors from selling goods from low-cost countries in states where prices were higher.
Prices of Nintendo products were up to 65% higher in Germany or the Netherlands than in Britain.
"Every year, millions of European families spend large amounts of money on video games," Competition Commissioner Mario Monti said.
"They have the right to buy the games and consoles at the lowest price the market can possibly offer.
"We will not tolerate... behaviour intended to keep prices artificially high in the European single market.""
Discuss.
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"Nintendo has been fined 146m euros (£92.1m) by the European Commission for trying to rig the computer game market.
The firm has been, with seven distributors, found guilty by commission anti-trust officials of attempting to keep prices artificially high in some EU states between 1991 and 1998.
The severity of the fine, the fourth highest ever meted out by commission trade watchdogs for a single offence, reflected Nintendo's role as "the driving force behind the illicit behaviour", the commission said.
The distributors, including Scotland-based John Menzies, were fined 21m euros.
Appeal:
But Nintendo said it would fight the penalty.
"In view of the size of the fine, which Nintendo finds surprising, Nintendo will lodge an appeal," the company said.
While accepting that it had broken EU rules, the firm said it had reformed its practices.
John Menzies, which said its fine of £5.4m was "totally disproportionate", said it was considering legal options.
The firm was implicated through its THE Games unit between 1995 and 1997.
"We feel that the commission has not fully recognised... [its] earlier acceptance that this was a mistake, not a deliberate transgression; that THE Games was more victim than villain," Menzies chief executive, David Mackay said.
Price differences:
The fines follow a two-year probe by the commission into claims that Nintendo prevented distributors from selling goods from low-cost countries in states where prices were higher.
Prices of Nintendo products were up to 65% higher in Germany or the Netherlands than in Britain.
"Every year, millions of European families spend large amounts of money on video games," Competition Commissioner Mario Monti said.
"They have the right to buy the games and consoles at the lowest price the market can possibly offer.
"We will not tolerate... behaviour intended to keep prices artificially high in the European single market.""
Discuss.
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Taken from bbc.co.uk
*****************
"Nintendo has been fined 146m euros (£92.1m) by the European Commission for trying to rig the computer game market.
The firm has been, with seven distributors, found guilty by commission anti-trust officials of attempting to keep prices artificially high in some EU states between 1991 and 1998.
The severity of the fine, the fourth highest ever meted out by commission trade watchdogs for a single offence, reflected Nintendo's role as "the driving force behind the illicit behaviour", the commission said.
The distributors, including Scotland-based John Menzies, were fined 21m euros.
Appeal:
But Nintendo said it would fight the penalty.
"In view of the size of the fine, which Nintendo finds surprising, Nintendo will lodge an appeal," the company said.
While accepting that it had broken EU rules, the firm said it had reformed its practices.
John Menzies, which said its fine of £5.4m was "totally disproportionate", said it was considering legal options.
The firm was implicated through its THE Games unit between 1995 and 1997.
"We feel that the commission has not fully recognised... [its] earlier acceptance that this was a mistake, not a deliberate transgression; that THE Games was more victim than villain," Menzies chief executive, David Mackay said.
Price differences:
The fines follow a two-year probe by the commission into claims that Nintendo prevented distributors from selling goods from low-cost countries in states where prices were higher.
Prices of Nintendo products were up to 65% higher in Germany or the Netherlands than in Britain.
"Every year, millions of European families spend large amounts of money on video games," Competition Commissioner Mario Monti said.
"They have the right to buy the games and consoles at the lowest price the market can possibly offer.
"We will not tolerate... behaviour intended to keep prices artificially high in the European single market.""
Discuss.
*****************
"Nintendo has been fined 146m euros (£92.1m) by the European Commission for trying to rig the computer game market.
The firm has been, with seven distributors, found guilty by commission anti-trust officials of attempting to keep prices artificially high in some EU states between 1991 and 1998.
The severity of the fine, the fourth highest ever meted out by commission trade watchdogs for a single offence, reflected Nintendo's role as "the driving force behind the illicit behaviour", the commission said.
The distributors, including Scotland-based John Menzies, were fined 21m euros.
Appeal:
But Nintendo said it would fight the penalty.
"In view of the size of the fine, which Nintendo finds surprising, Nintendo will lodge an appeal," the company said.
While accepting that it had broken EU rules, the firm said it had reformed its practices.
John Menzies, which said its fine of £5.4m was "totally disproportionate", said it was considering legal options.
The firm was implicated through its THE Games unit between 1995 and 1997.
"We feel that the commission has not fully recognised... [its] earlier acceptance that this was a mistake, not a deliberate transgression; that THE Games was more victim than villain," Menzies chief executive, David Mackay said.
Price differences:
The fines follow a two-year probe by the commission into claims that Nintendo prevented distributors from selling goods from low-cost countries in states where prices were higher.
Prices of Nintendo products were up to 65% higher in Germany or the Netherlands than in Britain.
"Every year, millions of European families spend large amounts of money on video games," Competition Commissioner Mario Monti said.
"They have the right to buy the games and consoles at the lowest price the market can possibly offer.
"We will not tolerate... behaviour intended to keep prices artificially high in the European single market.""
Discuss.
Heh, and we all thought Microsoft were bad...
Naughty Ninty!
tsk tsk tsk
tsk tsk tsk
Doesn't apply here though, Britain was cited as oneof the "cheaper" countries, so expect the prices to stay as is. It's a shame really, something like this could've given a boost to that fair play campaign thing that's going on, it's obviously been started by a journalist who has given partial information and withheld the rest (like the fact that the magazine quotes are from HIS magazine, and the interviews are 5yrs old). But all in all, in principle it's a decent enough campaign, there is a stupidly high profit margin in games manufacture that could stand to lower a few precent.
Percent even... I need more caffiene.
B4 we get a Ninty fan with a mile long explanation, I would like to point out that on many of the other subjects (current and past), Ninty fans have defended the N64 on the basis Ninty made a load of money out of it. And it's that which made is a success, not the number of N64's sold (compared with PS1). Well looks like they (ninty) made too much money out of it then!
Well Well Well
It has not been a very good period for Nintendo over the last couple of months, plummeting shares and profits, reduced sales expectations, cheap ported ps2 titles, no Gamecube 2, the list goes on and on. Then the final straw hit by the 4th biggest EU fine in history for would you believe it ripping off the public.
I thought Nintendo were not interested in profit only quality titles, when all they were really interested in was the Bunce (bunson burner nice little earner).
I have always maintained that Sony were the first company to make gaming affordable and that Nintendo only produced cartridges on the N64 so they could make more money that must be the case as the format had no redeeming features. Charging £64.99 for most of the top titles like donkey kong 64 (if you could call that a top title) no wonder Ninty were not worried by how many titles they sold they were making more profit on 1 than Sony were on 3. Still if that's the price of true Ninty gaming you can keep it and that's what most the public thought as well.
It has not been a very good period for Nintendo over the last couple of months, plummeting shares and profits, reduced sales expectations, cheap ported ps2 titles, no Gamecube 2, the list goes on and on. Then the final straw hit by the 4th biggest EU fine in history for would you believe it ripping off the public.
I thought Nintendo were not interested in profit only quality titles, when all they were really interested in was the Bunce (bunson burner nice little earner).
I have always maintained that Sony were the first company to make gaming affordable and that Nintendo only produced cartridges on the N64 so they could make more money that must be the case as the format had no redeeming features. Charging £64.99 for most of the top titles like donkey kong 64 (if you could call that a top title) no wonder Ninty were not worried by how many titles they sold they were making more profit on 1 than Sony were on 3. Still if that's the price of true Ninty gaming you can keep it and that's what most the public thought as well.
Oh yay it's Techno Freak....I mean Top Score so sorry, don't you have anything better to do with your days other than getting on peoples t!ts?
Very good Top Score, did you write that all by yourself, or did a blind crippled chimp help you?
You know the game is up when you cant think of a sensible reply to a sensible comment. I bet there's loads of people out there trying to check that this report is true! As I was once told on here, don't defend your console by attacking other consoles.
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