On October 3, Nintendo filed a motion requesting that James “Archbox” Williams, a known Switch pirate, pay the company $4.5 million in damages for operating websites that offered users copies of pirated games. Nintendo stated that Williams has not responded to its ongoing lawsuit against him and asked the US District Court in Seattle to weigh in.

The case against Williams dates back to 2024, when Nintendo first filed a lawsuit against him for allegedly selling and distributing pirated Nintendo Switch games. Nintendo stated that Williams utilized websites dubbed “pirate shops” as part of his business. Williams also served as a moderator of the SwitchPirates subreddit, which subsequently led to him being tracked down by Nintendo. The company used Williams’ own social media posts and Nintendo console repair history to find him at his residence in the Phoenix, Arizona area. After being served by Nintendo, Williams failed to enter a plea in court, and a default judgment was granted to the company.

Nintendo Requests $4.5 Million in Damages From Archbox

After winning a $2 million settlement against Modded Hardware earlier in 2025, Nintendo’s campaign against piracy is not stopping anytime soon. In a filing with the US District Court for the Western District of Washington at Seattle, Nintendo requested a motion for a default judgment in its favor against Williams for $4.5 million. Nintendo argued that Williams had not responded to the lawsuit against him, although he retained legal counsel as a way to intervene in any third-party subpoenas. Nintendo stated that, since Williams has not taken action to contest the default judgment handed down in November 2024, the company claimed that monetary damages are justified. As of this writing, the motion from Nintendo against Williams is set to be heard on Friday, October 24.

The latest lawsuit from Nintendo is part of its ongoing crackdown against video game piracy. In July 2025, one of the largest repositories of pirated Switch games and ROMs, NSw2u, was seized by the FBI after five years of operation. The FBI worked with the FIOD, a Dutch investigative unit, in its seizure of NSw2u. Days later, the FBI acknowledged its involvement and cooperation with the FIOD in taking down NSw2u via an official statement. It is unclear if Nintendo had any involvement with the NSw2u seizure.

Nintendo’s anti-piracy measures also go beyond the courtroom, as the Switch 2 console can be bricked by Nintendo if piracy or tampering has been suspected. With the Switch 2 entering its fifth month on the market, time will tell what measures Nintendo will take to protect its intellectual property.