Nintendo Wins $4.5 Million Judgment Against Major Online Game Pirate

2026-09-26 companies

Redmond, Friday, 25 September 2026.
A federal court ordered a Reddit moderator to pay Nintendo $4.5 million for distributing pirated games after the company tracked his identity through a routine console repair request.

Court Judgment and Defendant Identity

A federal court in Washington state has ordered James Williams, known online as Archbox, to pay $4.5 million in damages to Nintendo of America following a copyright infringement lawsuit [1][2]. The judgment, issued on September 23, 2026, marks a significant victory for the gaming giant in its ongoing efforts to combat digital piracy [3][4]. Williams, who served as a moderator for the r/SwitchPirates Reddit community, was found liable for distributing pirated versions of Nintendo Switch titles through various online channels [2][5]. The court granted the default judgment after Williams failed to respond to the lawsuit originally filed in June 2024 [2][4].

Damages Calculation and Identification

The $4.5 million award was calculated based on statutory damages of $150,000 per title across 30 specific copyrighted games, including major releases such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Pikmin 4 [3][5]. The total sum is derived from the calculation 4.500 million, reflecting the maximum statutory damages allowed for willful infringement [3][5]. Nintendo investigators identified Williams by linking his online alias to a Nintendo Account used to request hardware repairs, which provided the physical address necessary for legal service [4][6]. This forensic linkage allowed the company to connect the anonymous online operator to his real-world identity despite his use of pseudonyms [6].

Broader Enforcement Context

In addition to the monetary penalty, the court issued a permanent injunction requiring Williams to immediately disable access to all online shops offering pirated Nintendo Switch games [2][4]. This legal action aligns with Nintendo’s broader strategy of aggressive intellectual property enforcement, evidenced by a separate ruling in the Netherlands earlier in September 2026 against the sale of modding kits [2][3]. Company representatives stated that unauthorized copies increase the risk of interfering with the functionality of authentic consoles and systems [2][4]. The judgment underscores the heightened liability risks for individuals facilitating large-scale digital copyright infringement within the gaming ecosystem [1][5].