OFFICE OF THE INTERNATIONAL LINK COMMISSION • EST. 1997

TREATY ON
THE GAME BOY
LINK CABLE

A binding agreement between all sovereign territories concerning the proper, fair, and uninterrupted use of the Nintendo Game Boy link cable for the exchange of data, trade, and competition.

PREAMBLE

The signatories, recognising the profound importance of the 15-pin serial link cable in the conduct of electronic commerce and friendly rivalry, agree as follows.

Whereas the Game Boy link cable enables the instantaneous transfer of pocket monsters, high scores, and other digital property between two devices;

Whereas misuse, improper insertion, or cable sharing has led to disputes, severed friendships, and lost data;

The undersigned nations hereby establish the following rules to govern all future link cable activity within their borders and between them.

THE ARTICLES

Article I — Definitions

“The Cable” refers exclusively to the official Nintendo Game Boy link cable. Third-party replicas are declared void. “Link session” means any continuous period during which two Game Boys remain connected via the Cable.

Article II — Permitted Uses

  • Trade of pocket monsters and items between two consenting parties.
  • Head-to-head competition in racing, fighting, or puzzle titles.
  • Transfer of saved progress for the purpose of continuing play on a second device.

Article III — Prohibited Conduct

No party shall yank the Cable during an active session. No party shall insert the Cable into a Game Boy that is already powered on without first powering the second unit. No party shall claim ownership of a traded monster without completing the full handshake sequence.

Article IV — Cable Stewardship

Each signatory shall maintain at least one official Cable in good working order at all times. The Cable must be stored coiled, never knotted. Owners shall periodically inspect the 15-pin connectors for bent pins. Any Cable found to be defective must be retired and replaced at the owner’s expense.

Article V — Dispute Resolution

Any disagreement arising from a link session shall first be submitted to the local Link Commissioner. If unresolved within seven days, the matter escalates to the International Link Tribunal, whose decision is final. The losing party shall supply the winning party with one new AA battery.

RATIFICATION

Done at the City of Kyoto on the twelfth day of March, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven.

FOR THE REPUBLIC OF JAPAN
Nintendo Corporation, signatory

FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Nintendo of America, signatory

FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION
Nintendo of Europe, signatory

FOR THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
Nintendo Australia, signatory

THIS TREATY REMAINS IN FORCE UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE GAME BOY IS SUPERSEDED BY A NEW HARDWARE PLATFORM.