Nintendo wins $4.5 million judgment against Reddit user
A Washington court has ordered James 'Archbox' Williams to pay $4.5 million and cease operations for running commercial Switch piracy shops, a major
Nintendo of America has secured a $4.5 million default judgment against Reddit user James C. Williams, known online as 'Archbox,' for operating commercial-scale Nintendo Switch piracy shops. The Washington court issued the ruling after Williams failed to respond to the lawsuit, which Nintendo filed in June 2024.
Scope of the injunction
Williams is now under a permanent injunction that compels him to shut down his entire piracy operation. He must disable all online shops under his control that offered pirated Nintendo Switch games for download. Also, he is required to close any social media accounts linked to these piracy activities. The court order explicitly bars him from any future involvement with Nintendo's intellectual property.
He is prohibited from distributing, advertising, marketing, selling, reselling, uploading, downloading, offering for sale, or otherwise disseminating Nintendo software or hardware.
Williams' alleged operations
According to Nintendo's allegations, James Williams built and operated a network of websites dedicated to Switch piracy. These sites allegedly offered downloads of full Switch game libraries. Beyond running these shops, Williams also moderated a Switch piracy forum on Reddit. Nintendo claimed his activities included copying and distributing games, promoting piracy online, and trafficking in circumvention software designed to bypass console protections.
The piracy community itself reportedly distinguishes between personal use and commercial exploitation. Williams is alleged to have crossed that line by moving from forum participation to running profitable shops. The top-voted response on the relevant subreddit to the news of the judgment was succinct: 'Dude was a moron for selling this shit.'
Nintendo's legal strategy and claims
Nintendo chose to pursue actual damages in this case, setting the total at $4.5 million. The company stated it could have sought 'several million dollars' more in statutory damages under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act but opted for this more measured approach. In its legal filings, Nintendo argued it suffered direct harm from Williams' conduct.
The company claimed the piracy substantially damaged its business, its intellectual property rights, and the rights of its development and publishing partners. Nintendo stated the actions caused harm to artists, game designers, programmers, and others whose livelihoods depend on legitimate product sales. It framed the lawsuit as part of its broader effort to protect its IP and the global community of developers reliant on authorized sales.
This case is part of an escalating legal strategy from Nintendo. The company has systematically targeted ROM hosting sites, hardware hackers, sellers of jailbreak hardware, and even livestreamers of pirated games. As the industry anticipates the Switch 2, legal cleanup from the original console's piracy ecosystem continues. Nintendo argues that piracy directly impacts its ability to invest in major franchises like Pokémon, making these enforcement actions financially critical rather than merely symbolic.
Context and broader impact
The judgment aligns with a recent European court ruling that declared the sale of Switch modding kits, like the MIG Switch, illegal. That decision from the District Court of The Hague makes selling such devices unlawful in Europe. Nintendo's global enforcement message remains consistent. The company emphasizes the risks of using unauthorized tools.
"Nintendo's message to players is to avoid purchasing or using circumvention devices, circumvention software or unauthorised copies of video games," the company said. It warns that these items can interfere with the functionality and experience of authentic Nintendo consoles and games.
Concurrently, Nintendo highlights its support for legitimate creators. "Nintendo promotes and fosters game development and creativity and strongly supports the game developers who legitimately create new and innovative games," it stated. The company started this specific legal action against Williams in March 2024, filed the lawsuit in June, and set the damages figure in October 2024. It has previously coordinated with the FBI to dismantle a major ROM distribution operation and has estimated suffering $170 million in lost game sales due to Switch piracy.
The court's final order mandates that Williams must disable access to all online shops he operates or controls that offered pirated Nintendo Switch games for download and close any social media accounts linked to piracy.
