4,238 emulator-related repositories disappear in one go with Nintendo's 'one and only' notification

IT news site TorrentFreak reported that the copyright infringement complaint sent by Nintendo to GitHub resulted in the deletion of nine targeted repositories, as well as the deletion of repositories that were parent repositories in a domino-like fashion, ultimately resulting in the processing of 4,238 repositories.

Nintendo Easily Kills 4,238 Switch Emu Repos on Yuzu Lawsuit Anniversary * TorrentFreak
https://torrentfreak.com/nintendo-easily-kills-4238-switch-emu-repos-on-yuzu-lawsuit-anniversary-250305/

On February 26, 2025, Nintendo reportedly sent a copyright infringement claim, or 'DMCA notice,' to GitHub under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) targeting nine repositories related to the Nintendo Switch emulator ' Ryujinx .'

Ryujinx was known as an open source emulator that continued to operate even after the representative Nintendo Switch emulator 'Yuzu' was suspended due to a lawsuit by Nintendo, but it was also suspended in October 2024 after receiving an inquiry from Nintendo.

Nintendo Switch emulator 'Ryujinx' suspended after receiving notice from Nintendo - GIGAZINE

After receiving the DMCA notice, GitHub contacted the nine affected repositories and gave them time to take steps to avoid removal, but all were ultimately removed, along with many other repositories in the same network.

In its report , GitHub explained, 'Because the network reported as containing the allegedly infringing material consisted of more than 100 repositories, and the reporter alleged that all or most of the forks infringe to the same extent as the parent repository, GitHub processed the removal notice in this case across the entire network of 4,238 repositories, including the parent repository.'

Separately, Nintendo reportedly sent a similar notice to GitHub targeting the Ryujinx repository. The second notice only targeted three repositories, but GitHub ultimately liquidated the network of 113 repositories after giving the owners a chance to respond. This means that Nintendo's two complaints targeting 12 repositories have resulted in a total of more than 4,300 repositories being wiped out.

TorrentFreak points out that the reason why GitHub, which advocates 'developer first,' took such a strict stance is that Yuzu was sued by Nintendo and suspended from publishing in March 2024, exactly one year ago.

Nintendo Switch emulator Yuzu, sued by Nintendo, agrees to pay damages and immediately ceases publication - GIGAZINE

Nintendo holds the copyright to many games, and these works are protected from unauthorized access and copying by protective measures called 'Technical Protection Measures (TMPs)' in the DMCA. Circumventing TMPs to access copyrighted works is prohibited by the DMCA, so circumventing the TPM with an emulator may also violate the DMCA's prohibition on circumvention.

TorrentFreak said, 'A year ago, it would not have been easy to remove so many repositories at once. The law hasn't changed at all, but the impact of the Yuzu lawsuit and settlement suggests that the shift in perception of copyright has been a major advantage for Nintendo.'