From The Verge · Emma Roth · · 1m 20s
Nintendo wins $4.5M piracy lawsuit against Reddit mod
A federal judge ordered James Williams to pay damages and shut down online stores distributing pirated Switch games.
In brief
A federal judge ordered James Williams to pay damages and shut down online stores distributing pirated Switch games. Nintendo successfully sued a Reddit moderator for operating pirate shops distributing copied Switch games, winning a $4.5 million default judgment. Originally reported by The Verge.
Nintendo wins piracy lawsuit
A Washington federal judge ordered Reddit moderator James Williams to pay Nintendo $4.5 million for distributing pirated Switch games through online stores.
The mod's alleged pirate operation
Williams, known online as 'archbox', was a leading moderator of r/SwitchPirates who solicited Nintendo eShop gift cards and game copies to distribute through pirate shops.
Nintendo sued in 2024
Nintendo filed the lawsuit against Williams in 2024, claiming he promoted pirate shops and encouraged others to contribute copied games despite knowing it violated copyright law.
Default judgment after no response
Williams didn't respond to the lawsuit, leading the court to issue a default judgment in Nintendo's favor last October.
Damages cover 30 games
The $4.5 million award breaks down to $150,000 per violation across 30 copyrighted games, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Luigi's Mansion 3, and Pikmin 4.
Williams must shut down shops
The judge ordered Williams to immediately disable access to his pirate shops and shut down any social media accounts used to distribute copyrighted Switch games.
The short version
Nintendo successfully sued a Reddit moderator for operating pirate shops distributing copied Switch games, winning a $4.5 million default judgment.
