Nintendo seeks $4.5 million in damages from operator of “SwitchPirates” Reddit community
Nintendo of America has filed a motion in federal court, seeking a permanent injunction and a judgment of $4.5 million (USD) in damages against the operator of a major online piracy community.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
The defendant, James C. Williams, is alleged to have been a moderator for the “SwitchPirates” community on the popular social media and forum website, Reddit, under the username “Archbox.”
According to the lawsuit, the defendant was involved in the distribution of various copyright circumvention tools and was also soliciting donations for his activities.
It is also alleged that, since 2019, he has been operating and promoting a separate website that distributed pirated software.
Nintendo of America reportedly first sent a warning letter to the defendant in March 2024.
While he acknowledged some of the violations, he failed to fully comply with the warning, which led to the company filing a formal lawsuit in June 2024.
The defendant has since failed to provide any answer or response to the lawsuit.
As a result, it is now expected that a default judgment will be entered in Nintendo’s favor.
The massive, $4.5 million in damages being sought is intended to serve as both compensation for Nintendo’s losses and as a powerful deterrent against future violations.
This case is the latest in a long line of aggressive and high-profile anti-piracy actions from the famously litigious video game company.
Nintendo filed its motion for the default judgment and the $4.5 million in damages on Friday, the 3rd of October.
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