Appeals Court Grants Game Genie’s Wish

SAN FRANCISCO —  Super-Duper Mario lives--courtesy of a federal appeals court, which on Thursday let a small company continue selling a device that can enhance the powers of characters in Nintendo video games.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 3 to 0 that Game Genie, made by South San Francisco-based Lewis Galoob Toys, did not violate Nintendo of America’s copyright.

Game Genie allows players of more than 150 Nintendo home video games to “customize” the games so that characters such as Super Mario would have more lives, move faster or jump over more obstacles.