Nintendo wins $4.5M lawsuit against Reddit moderator over pirated games
What's the story
Nintendo has won a $4.5 million lawsuit against James Williams, a Reddit moderator accused of distributing pirated Nintendo Switch games. The ruling was made by a federal judge in Washington, who also ordered Williams to shut down his online stores that were allegedly hosting libraries of pirated Switch games. The gaming giant had filed the lawsuit against Williams, known online as "archbox," back in 2024.
Allegations
Nintendo accused Williams of being a 'leading moderator'
Nintendo accused Williams of being a "leading moderator" of the r/SwitchPirates community.
The company claimed he solicited "donations" of Nintendo eShop gift cards and copies of Switch games "to be copied and distributed" on online pirate stores.
Last October, when Williams didn't respond to the lawsuit, Nintendo sought a $4.5 million default judgment from the court.
Court ruling
Williams was aware that his actions violated copyright laws
US District Judge Lauren King said in her order, "NOA [Nintendo of America] has demonstrated that Williams promoted online shops offering pirated Nintendo game files and circumvention software, encouraged others to contribute pirated Nintendo games to his pirate shops, and assisted others in distributing pirated Nintendo Switch games."
She added that he was aware such activity violated copyright laws.
Ongoing battle
Another win for Nintendo in its ongoing fight against piracy
This lawsuit victory is another win for Nintendo in its ongoing fight against copyright infringement.
The company has filed several copyright lawsuits over the years.
Its most recent victory was in a Netherlands court, which ruled that selling Mig flash cartridges, allowing users to play pirated copies of games, was illegal.
Compliance
Williams has also been ordered to shut down online stores
The $4.5 million award in the case amounts to $150,000 per violation across 30 copyrighted games, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Luigi's Mansion 3, and Pikmin 4.
Williams has also been ordered to "immediately disable access" to his alleged pirate shops and shut down any social media accounts used for distributing copyrighted Switch games.