Nintendo Wins $2M Lawsuit Against Switch Modder for Piracy
▼ Summary
– Nintendo won a lawsuit against Ryan Daley, who was ordered to pay $2 million and stop selling modded Switch consoles online.
– Daley operated a website selling modded consoles, modchips, and Mig cartridges that enable piracy of Nintendo games.
– The court ruled these products cause significant harm by allowing widespread creation and distribution of pirated games.
– Nintendo has pursued multiple anti-piracy lawsuits, leading to shutdowns of emulators and threats to brick modded Switch 2 consoles.
– Daley is banned from modding consoles and must surrender or destroy all devices containing copyright-infringing material.
Nintendo has secured a significant legal victory in its ongoing battle against software piracy, with a federal court ordering a Washington-based modder to pay $2 million in damages and cease all sales of modified hardware. The ruling underscores the company’s aggressive stance on protecting its intellectual property and sends a clear message to those involved in the unauthorized distribution of its games.
The defendant, Ryan Daley, operated a website called Modded Hardware where he sold customized Nintendo Switch consoles, specialized modchips, and Mig flash cartridges. These products enabled users to bypass the console’s built-in security features, making it possible to play illegally copied games. Nintendo argued that Dalley’s activities facilitated piracy on a large scale, causing what the company described as “significant and irreparable harm.”
In his decision, the judge sided entirely with Nintendo, emphasizing that the sale of such devices encourages mass copyright infringement. Daley, who represented himself in court, denied any wrongdoing but was ultimately found liable. The court has now permanently barred him from modifying Switch consoles or distributing any tools designed to circumvent Nintendo’s technological protections.
This case is part of a broader pattern of legal action by Nintendo against piracy. Earlier this year, the company successfully sued a file-sharing site for hosting pirated games and has taken steps to shut down popular Switch emulators. Nintendo has also warned that it may permanently disable Switch 2 consoles that show evidence of tampering or unauthorized modification.
As part of the judgment, Daley must surrender all devices in his possession that contain infringing material, which will be either seized or destroyed. The court’s decision reinforces Nintendo’s zero-tolerance approach toward piracy and its commitment to using the legal system to defend its products and partnerships.
(Source: The Verge)
