Nintendo wins $4.5 million default judgment in Switch piracy lawsuit · Digg

Nintendo wins $4.5 million default judgment in Switch piracy lawsuit

The court also ordered James “Archbox” Williams to disable access to online shops he controls that offered pirated Switch games.

2 Sources, 4h ago, first seen 4h ago

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Nintendo of America won a $4.5 million default judgment against James “Archbox” Williams in its Switch piracy lawsuit, according to Aftermath's review of the filing. The court also ordered Williams to disable access to online shops he controls that offered unauthorized Switch games. A default judgment means the case was decided after Williams failed to respond in court, not after a contested trial. Nintendo had accused him of operating and promoting several piracy shops; those conduct claims originated with the company.

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Nintendo of America has won $4.5 million in damages in its copyright lawsuit against James Williams, who used the online name “Archbox.” A Washington federal court entered a default judgment after Williams did not respond to the case, Aftermath reports.

The judgment also includes a permanent injunction. It requires Williams to disable access to online shops he operates or controls that offered libraries of pirated Nintendo Switch games for download.

What a default judgment establishes

A default judgment is a binding court outcome, but it is not the result of a trial in which both sides contested the evidence. The court granted Nintendo the amount it requested after Williams failed to appear and defend the lawsuit.

That distinction is important for the underlying conduct. Nintendo alleged that Williams was a moderator of the SwitchPirates subreddit and the operator or overseer of several piracy shops. The company's 2024 complaint also accused him of promoting the shops and soliciting eShop gift cards or game files to expand their libraries. Those descriptions remain Nintendo's allegations, even though the resulting judgment and injunction are now court orders.

Nintendo filed the lawsuit on June 28, 2024. It later sought the $4.5 million award in October 2025 after Williams had not answered the case. The final judgment entered this week gives the company that amount and orders the covered shops shut down.

The case is part of Nintendo's broader campaign against Switch piracy services and hardware. Here, however, the outcome applies to Williams and the operations covered by this lawsuit; it does not create a general damages formula for every piracy case.

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@vergeNintendo accused James ‘archbox’ Williams of distributing pirated Switch games. https://www.theverge.com/games/1000088/nintendo-switch-piracy-reddit-mod-lawsuit

@TechmemeIn a default judgment, a US federal judge awards Nintendo of America $4.5M in damages in its lawsuit against a Reddit moderator who sold pirated Switch games (@sweetpotatoes / Aftermath) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

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The judgment also includes a permanent injunction. It requires Williams to disable access to online shops he operates or controls that offered libraries of pirated Nintendo Switch games for download.

Nintendo wins $4.5 million default judgment in Switch piracy lawsuit

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What a default judgment establishes

Nintendo wins $4.5 million default judgment in Switch piracy lawsuit

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What a default judgment establishes

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What a default judgment establishes

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What a default judgment establishes

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