Britain Says Nintendo, Sega Guilty Of Monopoly Practices

LONDON - U.K. antitrust authorities accused Nintendo and Sega of charging "excessive" prices for their video games, which cost up to $105 in British stores.

The Monopolies and Mergers Commission, after a 10-month investigation, concluded the Japanese companies - which control 90 percent of the U.K.'s video-game market - were guilty of "monopolistic trading."

It made a series of recommendations, include dropping licensing restrictions that restrain independent companies from producing video games, but delayed further action for three months.

Nintendo, which makes the popular Donkey Kong and International Football video games, said in a statement, "Nintendo rejects any idea that the pricing of its products has been either excessive or against the public interest."

The company said all Nintendo products faced the test of consumer demand. It said that, contrary to the impression given by the MMC, strong competition already existed in the marketplace.