Nintendo is flexing its muscles in the courtroom a bid to dissuade sellers of the notorious R4 chip, which currently allows DS owners to download and play full Nintendo DS titles free of charge.

At Tokyo District Court, Nintendo and 53 software companies, including Capcom and Square Enix, have filed a lawsuit against 5 companies that are alleged to have imported and sold the chip to consumers.

The R4 chip fits into the gamecard slot on the Nintendo DS and has a small slot in it where you can insert a Micro SD card. Game data can then be downloaded from a number of websites onto the card in a matter of minutes, allowing gamers to play full versions of the latest DS games.

ELSPA say that the R4 chip has devastating consequences on the gaming industry.

John Hillier, Manager of ELSPA's Intellectual Property Crime Unit recently told that Sunday Post that the offence for selling these chips could lead to up to two years in jail or an unlimited fine.

Nintendo's tactics appear to be working because, according to reports, those companies in the firing line have removed the R4 chip from their websites.

Nintendo still has its work cut out though as the chip is still widely available on the net, even from sources such as eBay and Amazon.