Nintendo of America is pursuing $4.5 million in damages from a Reddit user over allegations of copyright violations

Nintendo of America (NOA) is pursuing $4.5 million in damages from Reddit user James C. Williams, known online as 'Archbox'.

This pursuit follows a legal submission earlier in the month to the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. The case, which started in March 2024, sees Nintendo seeking compensation due to alleged piracy activities by Williams.

According to NOA, Williams' actions involved the illegal distribution of Switch games across the internet as well as the handling of software designed to bypass security measures. These are said to have caused significant harm to NOA's business and intellectual property rights, as well as those of their partners and the individuals involved in creating authorized Nintendo content.

Regarding the $4.5 million figure, Nintendo highlighted that calculating the exact financial impact of the infringement is challenging, yet undoubtedly significant.

The company elaborated by saying that the financial damages claimed in their submission do not fully reflect the severity of Williams' alleged infractions.

Initially, in March 2024, NOA sent a cease and desist letter to Williams, who admitted to infringing upon NOA's rights and expressed a willingness to cooperate. However, the filing states that Williams failed to stop his activities and denied certain connections to "Pirate Shops".

NOA alleges that Williams became uncooperative and hostile when asked to provide written confirmation of compliance with their demands.

The company asserts that they offered Williams a last chance to comply before proceeding with legal action. During this time, it is claimed that Williams attempted to obscure evidence by deleting online accounts and posts.

In July 2024, NOA initiated legal proceedings against Williams and another individual, accusing them of selling and trading devices that can circumvent Nintendo’s copyright protections.

Continuing its legal efforts, Nintendo took action against several other unauthorized Switch vendors and modders that same year. The company secured a default judgment in their case against Williams, following his failure to appear in court.