Italian Authorities Investigate Retro Reviewer Over Copyright: Facing Up to Three Years in Jail for Promoting Anbernic Handhelds

Sure, here we go:

Okay, so there’s this guy, Francesco Salicini, right? He’s got this YouTube channel called Once Were Nerd. And guess what? He’s in hot water with the Italian authorities. Something about him pushing piracy, they say. Yeah, it’s all tangled up with these Anbernic consoles he reviewed. You know, those nifty little retro gaming gadgets that play old-school Nintendo and Sony games? Anyway, they come with these microSD cards full of games, which, yeah, not exactly legal. But Salicini swears he was just chatting about the hardware—no dodgy links, no sponsors. Just his thoughts. Interesting, huh?

So, uh, here’s the kicker. They’re saying he messed up under Article 171 ter of the Italian Copyright Law. And if he’s found guilty, we’re talking a €15,000 fine and maybe even jail for three years. Yikes. Turns out, the Italian Financial Police got their hands on over 30 consoles from various brands like Anbernic and TrimUI. Oh, and they snagged his phone, too. Detectives poring over transcripts like it’s a whodunit.

Apparently, investigations like this take around six months. Then, we’ll see if they’re gonna press charges or just drop it. But the poor guy could lose his YouTube gig without even a definitive verdict. Talk about stressful.

Now, Nintendo? They’re like hawks with their stuff, copyright strikes galore for anyone mimicking their games online. Repos are getting axed left and right. It’s a frenzy. We don’t even know who kicked off this case against Francesco. If it’s Nintendo or Sony, well, that’s a whole new level of serious.

Honestly, there’s this weird dance between game studios wanting to hoard their creations and the folks just trying to keep classic games alive with emulators. Studios want control, sure, but how else do we keep playing when the original hardware’s on its last legs? Emulators might be the only lifeline. Otherwise, bye-bye forever to some classic experiences.

Oh, and by the way, you might wanna keep tabs on Tom’s Hardware on Google News, just saying. Follow along for all the latest updates, reviews, and whatnot.