Moderator Of Switch Pirates Subreddit To Pay Nintendo $4.5 Million

Nintendo has secured a default judgment against James Williams, an alleged distributor of pirated Switch games and a moderator of the r/SwitchPirates subreddit. The court ruling indicates Williams did not respond to the lawsuit.

As a result of his non-response, Nintendo will receive the full amount of damages requested, totaling $4.5 million. The court also ordered Williams to cease operating any websites that distribute pirated Switch content.

This case is part of Nintendo's ongoing efforts to combat piracy related to its Switch console. In 2024, the company initiated legal action against Ryan Daly, the owner of Modded Hardware, a site that sold modded Switches and related hardware.

Initially, Nintendo and Daly reached a settlement in which Daly agreed to stop selling modded hardware in exchange for the company dropping its legal case. However, the agreement was not honored, leading to a court proceeding.

Daly was ultimately ordered to pay Nintendo $2 million and to surrender any hardware used for modding consoles. This case demonstrates Nintendo's commitment to enforcing its intellectual property rights against piracy.