Nintendo wins $4.5 million piracy judgment after former Reddit moderator fails to defend himself in court

In a recent legal victory, gaming giant Nintendo has been awarded $4.5 million in damages after attempting to sue a former Reddit moderator for his involvement in piracy. The case, brought about in June 2024, centered around James Williams, also known online as Archbox, who was accused of operating several "Pirate Shops" specializing in unauthorized Switch game downloads.

Nintendo alleged that Williams, a prominent moderator of the r/SwitchPirates subreddit, directed users towards these illegal websites and even solicited Nintendo eShop gift cards to purchase games for distribution. The court found Nintendo's claims to be willful, resulting in a default judgment as Williams failed to respond to the complaint in court.

The permanent injunction prevents Williams from distributing pirated Nintendo games or circumvention software and requires him to disable any accounts associated with the infringement. Nintendo also sought $4.5 million in damages, equivalent to the maximum statutory damages for each of the 30 copyrighted games involved in the lawsuit, which included The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Super Smash Bros.

Ultimate. The irony lies in how Nintendo tracked Williams down, connecting his Reddit activity to a Nintendo account used for hardware repairs, where Nintendo had shipped a repaired console just days before sending the cease-and-desist letter. Williams' Reddit account has since been deleted, and the Pirate Shops he operated have been closed, though the full extent of Nintendo's collection remains uncertain.