On September 23, 2026, a federal judge in Seattle entered a default judgment awarding Nintendo of America $4.5 million in statutory damages against James C. Williams, whom Nintendo accused of being a leading moderator of the SwitchPirates subreddit under the name “Archbox.” The judgment, published on the court docket and reported widely on September 24, also permanently bars him from distributing pirated Nintendo games or the software used to run them.
A Default, Not a Trial
The key detail is how Nintendo won. Williams never answered the lawsuit, which Nintendo filed in June 2024. An attorney appeared for him only to respond to a subpoena Nintendo sent Google, and stated that this should not count as appearing in the case. The court clerk then entered default, and Nintendo asked for judgment about 11 months later.
Under the rules for a default, Judge Lauren King took Nintendo’s well-pleaded factual allegations as true. Nothing was tested at trial. Nintendo alleges Williams helped grow the subreddit to nearly 190,000 members, posted thousands of messages steering users to online “shops” offering pirated Switch games, and solicited “donations” of Nintendo eShop gift cards or games to be copied and added to those shops. The complaint quotes posts in which he allegedly called himself a “pirate” who “[is]n’t going to give Nintendo $50 for a game.”
How the Court Reached $4.5 Million
The figure is not an estimate of Nintendo’s losses. It is $150,000, the statutory maximum for willful copyright infringement, multiplied by the 30 Nintendo games listed in the complaint. The judge found that total was not out of proportion to the alleged conduct, citing earlier default cases that awarded the same per-work maximum.
The injunction orders Williams to immediately disable any shops he controls, along with any Reddit, Discord, Telegram, X, Instagram or TikTok accounts and websites used to distribute pirated games or circumvention software. As of publication, we have not found a public statement from Nintendo on the ruling.
What This Means for Players
This is a ruling against the people running piracy networks, not against individual players, but it shows how far Nintendo will pursue a case: two years, and to judgment, against a defendant who never showed up.
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Source: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, Nintendo of America Inc. v. Williams, No. 2:24-cv-00960-LK, order and judgment dated September 23, 2026.