But that's relatively rare.' Mo' money, mo problems In theory it could result in a custodial sentence.
'From a legal perspective, it could - in theory - go further into criminal matters.
If the lawsuit is successful, it could result in criminal damages as well as a court order to take the emulator down. If those takedown notices aren't complied with, then sometimes the manufacturer or developer or publisher decides to make an example of that business and take it as far as a lawsuit. 'But most of the time it doesn't get that far, and tends to be takedown notices against websites distributing emulators. 'So in the very worst case scenario - and this is semi-academic, most of the time - there could be criminal sanctions for the commercial distribution of an emulator. 'Many countries make piracy a criminal offence,' says Purewal.
