Nintendo has won its lawsuit over Switch game piracy. The amount: $4.5 million. Federal Judge Lauren King in Washington on Wednesday issued a default judgment against James Williams, who goes by the nickname Archbox online.
Williams moderated the r/SwitchPirates community on Reddit. According to talkesport.com, it had 190,000 members. Nintendo filed the lawsuit in 2024, but Williams did not respond, so the court ruled in his absence.
According to The Verge, the judge said Williams promoted shops selling pirated Nintendo game files and circumvention software, encouraged others to add pirated games to his shops, and helped distribute them even though he knew he was infringing copyright.
Nintendo wins Switch piracy lawsuit: what the ruling orders
The court ordered him to immediately take down the shops selling pirated Switch games and to delete the social media accounts used to distribute them. According to talkesport.com, the ban also covers other pirated Nintendo games beyond the thirty listed in the lawsuit, as well as software for circumventing protections. It includes accounts on Reddit, Instagram, X, TikTok, Discord and Telegram.
The amount is based on thirty games
The sum of $4.5 million corresponds to $150,000 for each of the 30 copyright infringements. The Verge names the games Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Luigi's Mansion 3 and Pikmin 4, while talkesport.com also lists The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Piracy shops and gift cards
According to talkesport.com, the lawsuit named the shops Jack-in-the-Shop, Turtle in the Shop and NekoDrive. They closed after Nintendo sent cease-and-desist letters in March 2024, and the fourth shop, LiberaShop, shut down shortly after the lawsuit was filed. According to The Verge and talkesport.com, Williams urged users to contribute Nintendo eShop gift cards, which were used to buy games intended for further distribution.
Nintendo also succeeded in the Netherlands
According to gamesindustry.biz, Nintendo began legal action in March 2024 and filed the lawsuit in June; talkesport.com mentions only the June filing. The gamesindustry.biz website gives the name James C. Williams. Earlier this month, a Dutch court in The Hague ruled that the sale of modding kits for the Switch is illegal, and declared the sale of the MIG Switch device and similar devices in Europe unlawful.
According to talkesport.com, enforcing the $4.5 million will likely be difficult, especially since the defendant is not responding to the court.