(SSBB) for the Nintendo Wii. These files are central to the game's massive modding community, emulation, and preservation efforts. Technical Overview
Project M (PM) was a fan mod that restored “competitive physics” to SSBB. PM’s distribution was legally clever: it required users to patch their own SSBB ISO. In practice, forums like Reddit and 4chan’s /v/ hosted pre-patched “PM-ready SSBB ISOs,” effectively laundering piracy through modding.
Nintendo would likely oppose this, but the paper cites precedents: the U.S. Copyright Office’s 2015 exemption for abandoned online games (e.g., Halo 2 on original Xbox).
SSBB is not abandonware (Nintendo still sells used copies and re-released some Wii titles digitally), but its core online features are dead. The paper argues for a “functionality abandonment” standard: when official servers close, format-shifting for local multiplayer/modding should be exempt.
