The five countries are the ones singled out by the Anti-Piracy Caucus as priorities for 2009, with Congress urging said countries to improve enforcement legislation and practices. How are they urging? Through a series of announcements that I am sure weigh heavily on the hearts and minds of those countries' governments, should they be paying any attention at all.

Still, the Entertainment Software Association seems pleased.

"The copyright-based industries will be leaders in our economic recovery – and the entertainment software industry, which had record sales in 2008, will continue to be a strong contributor to our nation's GDP," said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA, which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. "Exports can comprise as much as 30% of our members' sales, and are a direct contributor to domestic job growth. The work of the Caucus helps us to grow our export markets, create jobs and strengthen our balance of trade. Additionally, stemming the flood of pirated creative works benefits and protects legitimate consumers everywhere.

The ESA specifically thanked the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus for singling out Mexico and Canada, from which many mod-chips flow into the U.S., and Spain, where peer-to-peer piracy is running rampant.

Canada was also added to the U.S. Trade Representative's priority watch list this year. If they keep it up, we'll have no choice but to invade.

Nintendo issues the annual report to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative as part of the Special 301 process, which asks for input from the public to underscore areas of concern. So where is piracy rampant this year? For the most part, the list contains the usual suspects. Brazil, China, Korea, Mexico, and Paraguay all return to the list this year, perhaps indicating that the government didn't do enough in those areas last year, instead focusing on less important things, like electing a new president, fighting an ongoing war, and dealing with the failing economy. Priorities, people!

So what has changed? Hong Kong, present on the list last year, has been removed completely, so apparently everything is okay there now. Good job! In its place? Spain. I freaking knew it. They've been way too quiet in Spain lately.

Check out Nintendo's country-by-country report below.

PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA: China continues to be the hub of production for counterfeit Nintendo video game products. The number of online shopping sites in China selling infringing Nintendo products is increasing, and help is needed by the government to curtail the growth of these illegal marketplaces. These products are sold both inside China and to the world, including our key market in the United States. Chinese customs officials must stop shipments of game copiers and other infringing products out of China, and China should work in the coming year to eliminate barriers to its enforcement laws.

REPUBLIC OF KOREA: Internet piracy in Korea continues to increase, as does the availability of devices that get around product security and allow for the play of illegal Nintendo software. A massive customs raid of 10 premises that resulted in the seizure of more than 75,000 game copiers at the beginning of 2009 is a positive sign the government is serious about enforcement. Nintendo is pleased with Korea's consistent customs seizures, and courts are now starting to hold distributors of circumvention devices, such as game copiers, accountable. The Korea-U.S. free trade agreement is important to all intellectual property rights holders.

BRAZIL: Federal anti-piracy actions are not reducing piracy in Brazil, and local enforcement efforts are weak. Efforts to prosecute for piracy are virtually nonexistent. Customs and border control agents failed to seize a single shipment of Nintendo video game products in Brazil in 2008. Internet piracy is increasing with no legal infrastructure in place to respond to the threat it poses to rights holders. High tariffs and taxes also constitute market barriers for legitimate video game products.

MEXICO: Anti-piracy actions by the Mexican government in 2008 were wholly inadequate. The Mexican government must recognize the seriousness of the piracy problem and start using existing enforcement tools. Mexico's participation in negotiating the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement is encouraging, but enforcement efforts need to move forward now. The willingness of Mexican customs and Mexican postal service workers to be trained by trademark owners was a positive sign in 2008.

SPAIN: The availability of game-copying devices in Spain is alarming. Internet sites offering game-copying devices and illegal Nintendo software are widespread and must be addressed. Nintendo asks that the Spanish government implement laws protecting the creative copyright industry and enact laws against Internet piracy. Nintendo considers education a priority in its fight against piracy in the European Union. Customs authorities play an important role in enforcing intellectual property rights, and Nintendo is seeing positive signs in this area. Nintendo is pleased about recent steps taken by the Spanish National Police against distributors of game copiers.

PARAGUAY: Corruption continues to hamper anti-piracy efforts. Nintendo's anti-piracy actions in Paraguay show that illegal goods are imported and also locally produced. Border controls are key to decreasing piracy, and the revised criminal code will increase penalties against those distributing circumvention devices in Paraguay.

At a cost of $2 million, the system - called a "Virtual Stakeout" - involves a series of webcams placed along the Texas-Mexico border. These webcams can be viewed online, by you, by me, by anyone, with the aim of making public viewers "Virtual Deputies".

You sit there, you can the horizon, and if you spot someone trying to make a run across the border, you notify the authorities. So it's like Pokemon Snap, then, only without the Pokemon. Mexican Snap, if you will.

They've been in operation for six weeks now, and the "Virtual Deputies" have already clocked up one arrest, helping Police nab three suspects alleged to have been lugging 540 pounds of marijuana across the border.

It's a joint operation between the Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition and BlueServo, BlueServo being a budding ...social networking site, who are helping foot the bill in exchange for the publicity.

Presumably so the virtual deputies can meet other agoraphobic, internet-obsessed, potentially Mexican-hatin' vigilante types from the safety and comfort of their own home. (Almost) Everybody wins!

$2 Million Texas Surveillance System Nets 500 Lbs of Pot [Wired, via Neatorama]

[via Go Nintendo]

Durango has been a phenomenal place to shoot. We had many sets and the truth never felt paparazzi or harassment of the press and elsewhere and in other productions. It is a very quiet place, we were treated very well.

[Infotaku has asked us to remove the link to his site because the traffic is crashing his servers and has caused his account to be suspended, sorry Josep]

Mexican Law Enforcement Raids Pirate Game Facilities in Mexico City ESA Applauds Protecting Legitimate Computer and Video Games Washington, DC - March 17, 2008 - The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) commended the Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) and the Agencia Federal de Investigacion (AFI) for their recent raids of four facilities involved in burning pirate copies of video games in the notorious Tepito area in Mexico City. Working with local representatives of the ESA, over 500 law enforcement officers raided the four pirate game duplication facilities and three other storage locations, seizing roughly 290 DVD/CD burners, 28,800 illegal copies of video games and more than 900,000 video game cover inserts. "Mexico is an important market for ESA members due to the enormous popularity of entertainment software," said Ric Hirsch, senior vice president for Intellectual Property Enforcement at the ESA, the trade association representing U.S. computer and video game publishers. "Unfortunately, Mexico also has an alarmingly high rate of game software piracy that by our estimates reaches 88%. We are very grateful for the efforts of PGR, its Specialized Unit on Investigation of Crimes Committed against Industrial Property and Copyrights (UEIDDAPI), the prosecutors that were assigned to this case, and AFI in attacking the sources of pirate video games circulating in Mexico City markets, as such enforcement actions are the best way to reduce high levels of game piracy." The Tepito market is one of the most popular shopping areas in Mexico City and is a local center of black market activity, including the manufacture and sale of pirated computer and video games. ESA and its local counsel have been investigating pirate game traffickers in Tepito for several months. The raids and seizures highlight the ready availability of pirated entertainment software product, making it extremely difficult for legitimate game retailers to earn a profit. The ESA is the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of the companies publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet. ESA members collectively account for more than 90 percent of the $9.5 billion in entertainment software sales in the U.S. in 2007, and billions more in export sales of entertainment software. For more information about the ESA, please visit www.theESA.com.

Um, the character of Goku, an important character to play, uh, been around on kid's cartoons for a while, uh, so I hope I do a good job.

The company made headlines recently for its recent civil suit win against a Uruguayan counterfeiter and for its support of the U.S. government's stance on Chinese piracy.

We have absolutely no confirmation that the video game pirates looked anything like the Mexican bandits from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, but it's the most insensitive image we could generate on short notice. Full PR after the jump.

Mexican Raids Net 15,000 Counterfeit Nintendo Products

Mexican authorities conducted raids today against 12 alleged distributors of counterfeit Nintendo® products in a major "fayuca" (contraband) market in Guadalajara. Authorities seized 15,000 counterfeit Nintendo products, including 4,500 counterfeit Wii™ game discs.

The Guadalajara raids follow other Nintendo actions in Mexico during the past few months. Last month, Nintendo worked with customs agents to stop a shipment of more than 5,500 counterfeit Nintendo products entering Manzanillo, exported from China. Prior to that, Nintendo assisted local authorities in a raid of the San Juan de Dios market in Guadalajara, where 23 stores were shut down and more than 56,000 counterfeit Nintendo products were confiscated, including 11,000 counterfeit Wii discs.

"Mexico is Nintendo's largest market in Latin America, where the problem of video game piracy is widespread," said Jodi Daugherty, Nintendo of America's senior director of anti-piracy. "Since January, Nintendo has worked with law enforcement agencies worldwide to seize 100,000 counterfeit Wii games."

Earlier this month, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents executed 32 federal search warrants in 16 states as part of an investigation into the alleged sale and distribution of illegal Wii modification chips designed to circumvent the security embedded in the hardware and allow users to play counterfeit Wii software.

Nintendo and its developers and publishers lost an estimated $762 million in sales in 2006 due to piracy of its products.

I was walking around a well known mexican mall (wich makes sense since im mexican), when i saw, in a "serious" store, this pieces of... well, the pic says it all. Its a Xbox-like 8BITS videogame system. Yup, 8 bits, wich means NES quality games, in a shiny white box. Makes me kind of sad, many kids are gonna get this because their tech impaired parents wont be able to see the differences. In case you ask, the price is around US$28.

In Mexico, nothing says politics more than video games. Former Mexican president Vicente Fox once invited some orphans over to "play Nintendo," and current prez Felipe Calderon is a big time game nerd who even admits publicly he games. During his president campaign, Calderon doted his campaign site with flash games, which unfortunately are now gone. Still! He is one of us. His favorite title? Age of Empires. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, though... Brian Ashcraft

Mexican President Likes Games [Insert Credit]

If successful, the anonymous trade-in program will be expanded beyond the allocated 100 consoles and the targeted inner city area.

Not mentioned in the Reuters article is the trade-in bonus of one year of Xbox Live for inner city youth who trade in automatic rifles disguised as guitar cases, but we're pretty sure this is true. Michael McWhertor

Xbox for your gun? Mexico tries swaps in drug fight [Reuters]

On Thursday, the Mayor of the Mexican state of Chihuahua, Jose Reyes Baeza Terrazas, ordered his government to seize and confiscate every copy of the game Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, stating that the game was 'unnecessarily rude' against the city and the people of Cd. Ju rez, Chihuahua. The Mexican Government has yet to make an official statement. Explains reader Jose:

Now, when the sequel came out last month, the government of Chihuahua and the mayor of Cd. Ju rez, where the game takes place, were deeply offended after finding out that the game placed American soldiers shooting Mexican rebels in their territory, making an incredible media show that was showed on TV and some local newspapers. Although the main attention of this movement was to force the Mexican government to issue a diplomatic query with the American government about it... The local gamer community was actually excited to have their city featured on a video game...

Voice of reason: GRAW is published by Ubisoft, a Canadian company. So Mexican politician man, don't blame America, blame Canada! Somebody please tell them, because there's still time!! Brian Ashcraft

Eds Note: Apologies. Ubisoft is a French company, and GRAW2 was made in Montpellier in France. So please Mexican politician dude, please, blame the French and leave North America the frick alone.

GRAW 2 Pisses Off People In Mexico [Dario]

Microsoft's Bill Gates duked it out in Mexico with Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez on the Xbox 360. The exec was visiting the country to mark Microsoft's 20th anniversary there. The competition was displayed on three large screens above a stage where the two battled with Marquez beating Gates 2-1. Before the match, the soccer pro asked Gates if he was ready. The chairman replied:

I wouldn't bet all of my money on it.

Half of it would've been fine. A tenth even. Brian Ashcraft

Gates Loses [Yahoo via Joystiq]

Not one to be outdone by Microsoft (and really, who is?), the Mexican government has swiped the world's biggest effing piñata record held by the Viva Piñata piñata and done one better. Created to celebrate 2007, the new champ was built in Mexico City and is 30 meters in diameter and 27 meters tall, dwarfing Microsoft's 14.6 meter tall effort. Speculation maybe, but I *heart* the idea of Mexican officials plotting to one-up Microsoft's effort. Brian Ashcraft

New Title Holder [Ultimavida, Thanks Grow!]

Word is that Viva Piñata is pretty darn great. So great that it deserves the world's biggest paper mache animal. Over at the Six Flags in Mexico, they did just that and created a 14.6 meter piñata that just screams smash me por favor. Brian Ashcraft

Biggest Pinata [Ulitmate Vida, Thanks Grow!]