Nintendo Secures $4.5 Million Judgment Against Reddit Moderator Over Switch Piracy
A Washington federal judge ordered Reddit moderator James Williams to pay Nintendo $4.5 million and shut down alleged pirate stores.
Nintendo filed a lawsuit in 2024 accusing James Williams, known online as “archbox,” of running pirate shops that sold illegal copies of Switch titles. The company alleged that Williams solicited Nintendo eShop gift cards and game copies, then coordinated their duplication and distribution through the r/SwitchPirates community. Because Williams did not answer the complaint, a Washington federal judge entered a default judgment of $4.5 million, calculated at $150,000 per violation across 30 games such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Luigi’s Mansion 3.
Judge Lauren King ordered Williams to immediately disable access to the alleged pirate stores and to close any related social-media channels. The ruling adds to Nintendo’s recent string of copyright victories, including a recent case in the Netherlands against flash-cartridge sellers.
Why it matters
The judgment reinforces copyright enforcement against online piracy and signals legal risks for moderators of illicit content communities.
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