A federal judge entered a $4.5 million default judgment against a Switch piracy defendant.
Why it matters: The ruling shows Nintendo is using federal court to pursue alleged Switch piracy operators. The case also highlights how default judgments can become a fast-moving enforcement tool when defendants do not appear.
- U.S. District Judge Lauren King entered the default judgment in Nintendo of America Inc. v. Williams in the Western District of Washington.
- The judgment orders James C. Williams, known online as "archbox," to pay Nintendo $4.5 million.
- Nintendo's complaint alleged Williams was a major moderator and organizer in the r/SwitchPirates ecosystem and helped operate multiple "pirate shops."
- The case was filed June 28, 2024, and Nintendo previously won limited expedited discovery after Williams did not appear.
Nintendo won a $4.5 million default judgment against James C. Williams, also known online as "archbox," in a Switch piracy case in Washington federal court, according to the docket and The Verge.
The docket reflects that U.S. District Judge Lauren King entered the judgment in Nintendo of America Inc. v. Williams in the Western District of Washington. The materials reviewed did not include the signed judgment order itself, but the docket shows the default judgment was entered.
Nintendo's complaint, filed June 28, 2024, alleged copyright infringement, circumvention and related claims. It also alleged Williams lived in Surprise, Arizona, and that Nintendo sued in Washington because Nintendo of America is based there and the company said the alleged conduct implicated U.S. copyright claims.
According to Nintendo's complaint, Williams was a major moderator and organizer in the r/SwitchPirates ecosystem and was involved in operating multiple "pirate shops" that distributed pirated Nintendo Switch games. The complaint said Nintendo believed Williams used Reddit, Discord, GitHub, Google-related services and domain and hosting providers in the alleged network.
Before the default judgment, Judge King granted Nintendo's request for limited expedited third-party discovery after Williams failed to appear. In that order, the court said Nintendo needed more evidence to define damages, injunctive relief and any additional defendants, and noted Nintendo's concern that evidence about the alleged pirate shops could be destroyed.
By the numbers
- $4.5 million - default judgment entered against Williams
- June 28, 2024 - date Nintendo filed the complaint
Yes, but: The key facts about the default judgment come from the docket, but the signed order itself was not included in the materials reviewed, so the exact wording of the relief cannot be fully verified here.