Nintendo sues US government, seeks refund of Trump tariffs
What's the story
Nintendo has sued the US government, demanding a full refund of tariffs it paid during the Trump administration. The lawsuit was filed in the US Court of International Trade on Friday. It comes after the Supreme Court recently struck down Trump's "reciprocal tariffs" and those on China, Canada, and Mexico. The company is also seeking interest on these refunds from various federal agencies involved in what they term as "unlawful trade measures."
Tariff burden
Nintendo likely paid substantial tariffs
While Nintendo's complaint doesn't specify the exact amount it paid in tariffs, it's likely to be substantial. The company imported a large number of Switch consoles from Cambodia and Vietnam, two countries that were hit by Trump's reciprocal tariffs. This lawsuit is part of a broader trend, with over 380 tariff and customs-related lawsuits filed against the US government since the Supreme Court ruling, according to data from the US Court of International Trade.
Compliance challenges
Refund processing ordered by judge
A judge from the Court of International Trade ordered the Trump administration to start processing refunds on Wednesday. However, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it couldn't comply with the order immediately due to IT issues. CBP is now preparing a new IT system for handling these refunds within 45 days. The agency estimates that it collected $166 billion under the tariffs that have now been declared invalid.
Defendants listed
Multiple federal agencies named in the lawsuit
The lawsuit from Nintendo names several federal agencies and their heads as defendants. These include Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Office of the US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, CBP leader Rodnsey Scott, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is also named in the suit. The company demands that all tariffs collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) Duties be refunded with interest.