Man Ordered To Pay Nintendo $2 Million In Piracy Lawsuit
▼ Summary
– Nintendo won a $2 million lawsuit against Ryan Michael Daly for producing and selling devices that circumvented its technological protection measures.
– The court found that Daly’s actions caused significant and irreparable harm to Nintendo of America through his piracy-enabling products.
– Daly is permanently banned from evading Nintendo’s security systems or assisting others in modding or pirating its property.
– This case follows Nintendo’s history of strict legal actions, including a $15 million judgment against hacker Gary Bowser for similar offenses.
– Nintendo has expanded its anti-piracy efforts to include targeting emulation content creators, such as issuing copyright strikes on YouTube.
Nintendo has successfully obtained a $2 million judgment against an individual responsible for manufacturing and selling devices that facilitate piracy on the Nintendo Switch. The ruling reinforces the company’s longstanding commitment to aggressively protecting its intellectual property from unauthorized modification and illegal distribution.
A federal court in Washington determined that Ryan Michael Daly caused substantial and irreparable harm to Nintendo through his business operations. Court documents reveal that Daly produced hardware specifically engineered to bypass the console’s technological safeguards. These products were intended to circumvent Nintendo’s security protocols, enabling users to play pirated games.
In addition to the financial penalty, Daly is now subject to a permanent injunction. He is barred from engaging in any activities that compromise Nintendo’s digital rights management or security systems. The court further ordered the confiscation and destruction of all equipment and inventory associated with his modding enterprise.
This case is consistent with Nintendo’s history of pursuing legal action against those involved in piracy-enabling technologies. In a separate high-profile lawsuit, Gary Bowser was ordered to pay $15 million in damages and faced imprisonment for his role in a similar operation. Nintendo continues to enforce wage garnishment against him until the debt is fully settled.
Beyond litigation, Nintendo has expanded its anti-piracy initiatives to include digital platforms. The company has collaborated with YouTube to issue copyright strikes against channels that feature or promote emulated Nintendo content, further limiting the visibility and reach of unauthorized software and hardware.
(Source: GameSpot)
