A Nintendo executive has said the quiet part out loud, admitting that emulation is legal, despite the company’s near-rapid policy of shutting emulators down.

Nintendo has a long history of going after open-source emulation projects, threatening legal action to shut down one after another and earning the ire of the gaming community. As Android Authority points out, however, since none of the cases in question have ever seen the inside of a courtroom, there is no definitive status on the legality of emulation.

AA also reports that at the recent Tokyo eSports Festa, Nintendo patent attorney and IP general manager Koji Nishiura agreed that emulators are technically legal.

The outlet goes on to emphasize the tightrope developers have to walk. While emulation itself may be legal, trying to bypass the Nintendo Switch’s anti-piracy measures or circumventing copyright protection is a legal minefield.

Nonetheless, Nishiura’s admission is a major blow to Nintendo’s legal efforts to kill emulation projects.