Overview
- A U.S. district court entered a final default judgment on Wednesday awarding Nintendo of America $4.5 million after James “Archbox” Williams failed to respond to a 2024 lawsuit alleging he ran online shops that distributed pirated Switch games.
- The court issued a permanent injunction that directs Williams to disable access to the alleged pirate 'shops,' shut related social accounts and stop distributing or promoting software and hardware used to play pirated Nintendo games.
- Nintendo says it tracked the defendant by linking a Reddit identity to a Nintendo repair account, using the repair address to serve legal papers and establish the defendant’s connection to the storefronts.
- In filings Nintendo argued the $4.5 million figure was a reasonable remedy but said the amount understates the harm and that the company could have sought larger statutory damages for copyright and DMCA violations.
- The ruling amplifies a wider enforcement push that includes separate U.S. suits against modding-kit sellers and a recent Dutch court ban on certain modding kit sales, a campaign likely to disrupt piracy marketplaces and deter sellers.