Naming its product Pocket DS/Flip DS suggests that AYANEO may be doing what Chinese called Broken Porcelain Marketing (碰瓷营销). It’s used by a smaller entity to provoke a response from a larger organization to garner bystanders’ sympathy and support, amplified by media and influencers.
Nintendo is unlikely to take action because:
- Although it holds “DS” trademark in Japan, overseas it only owns “Nintendo DS”.
- DS games are not on NSO, and there’s no credible rumor of them coming soon either.
- AYANEO’s market segment is rather niche; the volume is too low to warrant a response.
[Background] Legend has it that the Broken Porcelain tactic originated in the Qing dynasty. Scammers loudly proclaimed that the passing wagon knocked off and broke their china to cause a scene, pressuring the wagon owner to compensate them. It’s been modernized for online marketing.
[Originally posted on 2025-07-28 Pacific Time]
