| User Group | Primary Motivation | Legal Stance | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Japanese players | Convenience, backup, or modding | Mixed (legal backup vs. piracy) | | Non-Japanese players | Early access before localization (2009-2010) | Clear infringement | | Non-Japanese players (post-2010) | Linguistic study or challenge runs | Unauthorized, but educational |
The Japanese ROM of Pokémon HeartGold : A Case Study in Linguistic Authenticity, Piracy Economics, and Digital Preservation pokemon heart gold japanese rom