Nintendo wins $4.5 million default judgment in Switch piracy case

How the court reached $4.5 million

In granting Nintendo's motion, US District Judge Lauren King wrote that the company had demonstrated Williams promoted shops offering pirated game files and circumvention software, encouraged people to contribute games and helped others distribute Switch titles despite knowing that the activity violated copyright law, The Verge reports.

The damages equal the maximum $150,000 statutory award for each of 30 copyrighted games identified in the case. The list includes Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Luigi's Mansion 3 and Pikmin 4.

The permanent injunction extends beyond the money. Williams must immediately disable access to the online shops the order says he operated or controlled, and he must close social-media accounts used to distribute copyrighted Switch games.

Nintendo filed the lawsuit in 2024 and pursued a default after Williams failed to answer. The company had previously argued that $4.5 million was modest compared with the total damages it could have sought. That “nowhere near” language described Nintendo's earlier request to the court; it was not a new claim that the judgment itself exceeded or fell short of a separate award.

Many accounts welcomed Nintendo's $4.5 million lawsuit win against a Reddit mod for distributing pirated Switch games as justice served, while negative replies called the company greedy for targeting small players instead of bigger threats.

Based on 115 sentiment-bearing replies from 99 accounts across 8 conversations.

Many accounts welcomed Nintendo's $4.5 million lawsuit win against a Reddit mod for distributing pirated Switch games as justice served, while negative replies called the company greedy for targeting small players instead of bigger threats.

Based on 115 sentiment-bearing replies from 99 accounts across 8 conversations.