Nintendo Europe stopped short of saying they definitely wouldn't fix the Freeloader, but their statement provides little hope. At this rate, Datel may need to develop a new Wii-specific Freeloader to support GameCube games from different regions.
The Freeloader was originally made for the GameCube by Datel and was designed to allow users to import and play games from regions other than their own. As players in PAL regions frequently get the short end of the stick when it comes to release schedules and pricing, the Freeloader was often the only way to get access to a game not yet released for PAL consoles. While there as yet still exists no Wii equivalent to the Freeloader, the Freeloader was compatible with the Wii for GameCube games right up until the release of the latest firmware. For many, this was the only way to play the games they had purchased for the GameCube on their newly acquired Wii.
Many users are understandably very unhappy, but on the other hand, Nintendo is simply reinforcing the region protection controls that were built into the console in the first place. It may even backfire on Nintendo by encouraging individuals with large back-catalogs of imported games to purchase a modchip simply so they can continue playing the games they originally purchased. This, however, is likely to irritate Nintendo even more, especially given Nintendo's strong support of the recent console modder bust.
If I understand right, Datel was also marketing the device as Wii compatible, so there may be some legal issues if one party or another is unable to rectify the issue at no cost to the customer.
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