Full Breakdown
Nintendo Secures $4.5 Million Judgment Against Reddit Moderator Over Switch Game Piracy
By Drooid · · How we work
Court Ruling and Damages
A Washington federal judge entered a default judgment against James Williams, known online as “archbox,” after he failed to respond to Nintendo of America’s lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Lauren King awarded Nintendo statutory damages of $150,000 for each of 30 copyrighted Switch titles, including *Animal Crossing: New Horizons*, *Luigi’s Mansion 3* and *Pikmin 4*, for a total of $4.5 million. The judgment also orders Williams to immediately disable access to any online “shops” he operates or controls that offered pirated Switch games.
Alleged Conduct and Injunction
Nintendo alleged that Williams acted as a “leading moderator” of the r/SwitchPirates subreddit, soliciting Nintendo eShop gift-card donations and copies of Switch games, which were then copied and distributed through pirate storefronts. Judge King found that Williams promoted these stores, encouraged others to contribute unauthorized titles, and assisted distribution despite knowing the activity violated copyright law. In addition to the monetary award, the court issued a permanent injunction barring Williams from distributing, selling, uploading, or advertising any software or hardware that bypasses Nintendo’s copyright protections, and from using social-media accounts to promote such activity.
Background and Related Enforcement Actions
Nintendo filed the lawsuit on June 28 2024 in a Washington district court. The company has pursued parallel actions, including a separate suit against Modded Hardware for selling kits that enable pirated gameplay. In Europe, a Dutch district court recently ruled that selling flash-cartridge devices capable of running unauthorized Switch games is illegal. Nintendo’s statement to IGN emphasized that its message to players is to avoid purchasing or using circumvention devices, software, or unauthorized copies because they risk interfering with the intended functionality of Nintendo hardware and software.
Impact and Significance
The combined monetary damages and sweeping injunction represent a rare, sizable enforcement effort against individual piracy facilitators. While default judgments of this magnitude are seldom collected in full, the permanent shutdown of Williams’s storefronts and promotional accounts provides immediate operational impact. The coordinated U.S. and European actions suggest a broader strategy by rights holders to target both the tools and the distribution networks that enable unauthorized game copies, potentially shaping future copyright enforcement approaches.