Toggle sidebar

Front-page

Nintendo awarded $4.5 million in Switch piracy lawsuit

Nintendo awarded $4.5 million in Switch piracy lawsuit

A court has ordered Reddit r/SwitchPirates moderator James Williams (of ArchBox fame) must pay Nintendo $4.5 million in a default judgment for copyright infringement. The fine was estimated at $150,000 per title across 30 specific copyrighted games.

The defendant, who failed to respond to the 2024 lawsuit had previously operated online shops offering up Nintendo Switch ROMs and other copyrighted Nintendo material. With some light doxxing from their trusty ninjas; Nintendo managed to track him down and filed the lawsuit against him.

Unsurprisingly; beyond the multi-million-dollar penalty, the court issued a permanent injunction forcing him to shut down his distribution networks and associated social media accounts.

:arrow: Source
 
  • Like
  • Haha
  • Wow
Reactions: SavageNoble, yoshi_nysa, NitroShell and 29 others
Click to expand...
depaul said:
I imagine he didn't appear in the court because he couldn't afford a lawyer.

In many countries you won't go to jail if you're sentenced to pay a sum.. and after they confiscate all your money you're still in debt.

However, it's U.S justice so I won't be surprised if they still put him to jail. Some U.S prisons are run by private companies lol, so they make profits forcing prisoners to work during their loooong sentence. (I always think U.S justice is the worst)
Click to expand...

If you can't afford a lawyer in a civil lawsuit there are many resources one could tap, and one could even represent themselves. Representing yourself at least gives you a non-zero chance of at least mitigating some of the damage. Ignoring a civil suit guarantees an adverse outcome and maximum damage.

You can't go to jail in the US for a civil judgement.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ChronosNotashi
spotanjo3 said:
He took advantage of people for his own financial gain.. ROMs are meant to be free. He sold them for his own profit, so he deserved it. He must be an idiot, smh. That's his problem.
Click to expand...
Roms come from copyrighted cartridges you pay for they are not meant to be free. That's why packages have copyrighted trademarks printed on them. You can dump your own collection and make digital back ups but that's not the same as distribution a company has a right to go after any website hosting their IP free or not.
Screenshot_20260926_091730_Brave.jpg
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: ChronosNotashi, Marc_LFD and ChibiMofo
K3Nv4 said:
Roms come from copyrighted cartridges you pay for they are not meant to be free. That's why packages have copyrighted trademarks printed on them. You can dump your own collection and make digital back ups but that's not the same as distribution a company has a right to go after any website hosting their IP free or not.
Click to expand...
No, I mean that ROMs are free because people download them for personal use, knowing it's illegal, but they aren't being sold for profit. ^_^
 
spotanjo3 said:
No, I mean that ROMs are free because people download them for personal use, knowing it's illegal, but they aren't being sold for profit. ^_^
Click to expand...
Regardless Nintendo can still file suit towards the website owner knowing they are hosting their IPs without permission this is why GBAtemp stepped out of the rom scene years ago to avoid these headaches.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ChronosNotashi, console, Marc_LFD and 1 other person
spotanjo3 said:
No, I mean that ROMs are free because people download them for personal use, knowing it's illegal, but they aren't being sold for profit. ^_^
Click to expand...
Yes, I think we all get it, but when it comes to the IP owners they don't want their stuff being available for free they want people to pay for it. Hell, even used copies they don't like it too much because they can't profit off of it... Well, they could make new reprints and they'd get customers money that way.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ChronosNotashi
Well ... his actions which ever way you try to spin it, are dumb, irresponsible, unlogical, (you pick which and in what order).
But I guess the fear of oh shit everything is coming down on me for doing stuff I clearly should not be doing publicly will do that to someone. Perhaps people will learn from this case what not do.

Play with the bull, get the horns.
Play with fire, get burned.
Play with electricity ... just no you sausage.
Play with Nintendo's money source + dont act like an adult, get Nintendo ninja nuked.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: ChronosNotashi, Bladexdsl and Marc_LFD
He deserved it, I have no sympathy besides the idiot didnt even try qnd defend himself so karma this loser! Nice one nintendo
Post automatically merged:

He deserved it, I have no sympathy besides the idiot didnt even try qnd defend himself so karma this loser! Nice one nintendo
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marc_LFD
K3Nv4 said:
Regardless Nintendo can still file suit towards the website owner knowing they are hosting their IPs without permission this is why GBAtemp stepped out of the rom scene years ago to avoid these headaches.
Click to expand...
I do remember one gbatemp scene dump still play it even medarot navi
Post automatically merged:

idiot should've pulled a snowden and fled to russia while he had the chance
 

Site & Scene News

Go to forum More news

Popular threads in this forum