Reddit mod ordered to pay Nintendo $4.5 million in Switch piracy lawsuit

Nintendo won its $4.5 million lawsuit against James Williams, a Reddit moderator accused of distributing pirated Switch games, as reported earlier by Aftermath. In a default judgment issued on Wednesday, a Washington federal judge also ordered Williams to shut down the online stores allegedly housing libraries of pirated Switch games. Nintendo sued Williams, also known as “archbox” online, in 2024. In its complaint, the gaming giant claimed Williams became a “leading moderator” of the r/SwitchPirates community, where he allegedly solicited “donations” of Nintendo eShop gift cards and copies of Switch games “to be copied and distributed” on online pirate stores. Last October, Nintendo asked the court for a $4.5 million default judgment after Williams didn’t respond to the lawsuit. “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, even though he knew such activity violated copyright laws,” US District Judge Lauren King writes in the order. This marks yet another legal victory for Nintendo, which has filed a flurry of copyright lawsuits over the past several years. The company most recently won a court case in the Netherlands, which deemed it illegal to sell Mig flash cartridges that allow people to play pirated copies of games. The $4.5 million award reflects $150,000 per violation across 30 copyrighted games, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Luigi’s Mansion 3, and Pikmin 4. Williams must also “immediately disable access” to his alleged pirate shops, as well as shut down any social media accounts used to distribute copyrighted Switch games.