Nintendo of America awarded $4.5m in lawsuit from Redditor for pirating Switch hardware and software

GamesIndustry.biz reports Nintendo of America has secured a $4.5 million default judgment against Reddit user James C. Williams, also known as Archbox, over copyright violations tied to Switch piracy and circumvention software. Because Williams did not respond to the lawsuit, the court entered judgment in Nintendo’s favor.

The order goes beyond damages. Williams must disable access to any online shops he operates or controls that offered libraries of pirated Switch games, close social accounts linked to piracy, and stop distributing, advertising, selling, uploading, downloading, or otherwise disseminating Nintendo hardware or software.

Nintendo says Williams’ conduct damaged its business and the rights of its publishing and development partners, including the artists, designers, and programmers whose work depends on legitimate sales. That framing matters for studios: platform-level enforcement is increasingly being positioned as protection for the broader dev ecosystem, not just a single publisher’s storefront.

The case lands alongside a separate ruling in the Netherlands that made selling Switch modding kits illegal, including MIG Switch and similar devices. Taken together, these moves show Nintendo tightening pressure on both piracy distribution and the tools that enable it, with implications for anyone shipping on closed platforms where unauthorized access can quickly scale.