Nintendo is suing a Reddit mod as part of one of its latest lawsuits. As with many of its legal battles, this is over alleged Nintendo Switch piracy, as Nintendo accuses the defendant of helping to distribute “thousands, if not hundreds of thousands” of pirated Switch games.
The defendant in this case is James C. Williams, who goes by the name Archbox online. Nintendo is seeking $4.5 million in damages from Williams, accusing him of distributing pirated Switch games and knowingly traffick[ing] in unlawful software products” that helped users play pirated games.
Nintendo Seeks $4.5 Million From A Reddit Mod, And Says That Still Isn’t Enough
This development was spotted by Nintendo Everything and comes from a lawsuit that began last Summer. Williams was served in August of last year, as Nintendo discovered his real identity through an email address associated with his Archbox Reddit account.
“Since 2019, Williams has been either directly or indirectly the owner, manager, operator, creator, administrator, supplier, and/or overseer of several online Pirate Shops, and has worked to actively promote these Pirate Shops to communities consisting of many thousands of individuals,” reads Nintendo’s latest filing, in which it describes Williams as a “self-proclaimed Nintendo pirate”.
The filing further accuses Williams of being the “owner, manager, operator, creator, administrator, supplier, and/or overseer” of “several online Pirate Shops”. Nintendo even goes into Williams’ alleged activity on Reddit, claiming that he was the “leading” moderator in the SwitchPirates subreddit.
Nintendo is seeking a hefty amount in damages from Williams, but it argues that even this would not be enough. “The amount of money sufficient to remedy NOA’s [Nintendo of America] injury would be extremely difficult to quantify; but it is indisputable that such amount would be large. Therefore, the money at stake by this Motion is nowhere near an amount that would compensate NOA for the seriousness of Defendants’ conduct.
“NOA respectfully requests that the Court enter a default judgment in favor of NOA and against Williams for a monetary award of $4,500,000.”
It remains to be seen how the court will rule in this case, and if Nintendo will get the damages that it seeks. However, it had found success in pursuing action against game pirates in the past, as Nintendo remains one of the most vigilant companies against any slight, perceived or otherwise, against its intellectual property rights – often to the frustration of its fans.
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