Indiana Law Journal Volume 93 Issue 4 Article 2 Winter 2018 Typhoid Mario: Video Game Piracy as Viral Vector and National Security Threat Andrew V. Moshirnia Monash University,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ilj Part of the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons, Internet Law Commons, Law and Economics Commons, Law and Society Commons, and the National Security Law Commons Recommended Citation Moshirnia, Andrew V. (2018) "Typhoid Mario: Video Game Piracy as Viral Vector and National Security Threat," Indiana Law Journal: Vol. 93 : Iss. 4 , Article 2. Available at: https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ilj/vol93/iss4/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law School Journals at Digital Repository @ Maurer Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Indiana Law Journal by an authorized editor of Digital Repository @ Maurer Law. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Typhoid Mario: Video Game Piracy as Viral Vector and National Security Threat ANDREW V. MOSHIRNIA Current academic and policy discussions regarding video game piracy focus on the economic losses inherent to copyright infringement. Unfortunately, this approach neglects the most significant implication of video game piracy: malware distribution. Copyright-motivated efforts to shut down file-sharing sites do little to reduce piracy and actually increase viral malware infection. Pirated video games are an ideal de- livery device for malware, as users routinely launch unverified programs and forego virus detection. The illicit nature of the transaction forces users to rely almost en- tirely on the reputation of websites, uploaders, and other users to determine if a file is safe to download.