Nintendo looks to address game piracy issues worldwide

Nintendo of America has asked the office of the US Trade Representative to begin pressuring foreign governments to crack down on counterfeit material.

Using an process called a "Special 301," Nintendo filed its complaint with the USTR. Through that method, the agency opens up the process to the public for comment in order to pinpoint areas of concern.

Nintendo says a majority of the piracy and counterfeiting seems to be localized in China. Recently, however, new areas of concern have popped up. Counterfeiters have appeared in Korea, for example, and both Brazil and Mexico are "saturated" with pirated material.

Since Hong Kong and Paraguay are two major shipping distribution points, they are major targets for counterfeits. Nintendo estimates it has lost as much at $975 million in sales due to illicit material there.

"Nintendo will continue to work with governments around the world to aggressively curtail this illegal activity," the company's anti-piracy chief Jodi Daugherty said in a statement.

In China, Nintendo has asked for the prosecution of those already caught pirating their products. It is also asking the US to ratify its trade agreement with Korea to help deal with piracy issues there.

In Latin and South America, the region which the company called a "haven for piracy," Nintendo asked for both changes to laws, and the ways in which they are enforced.