Key takeaways
- Nintendo sued James Williams for selling pirated Switch games leading to a default judgment against him.
- Williams' mistake in connecting his online handles led Nintendo to track his physical address.
how Nintendo The man apparently responsible for selling pirated copies of Nintendo Switch games has been tracked down. The company's legal teams seem to be always on the lookout for those trying to illegally profit off Nintendo's assets, and due to recent filings, there's a slight indication of how one of these searches ended up handing over a lawsuit to an alleged pirate.
Back in July, it came to light that Nintendo had sued a man named James Williams for allegedly distributing and selling large libraries of illegal Nintendo Switch games. Williams was accused of aiding and abetting the medium through a community that not only sold the games but also helped others play unofficial copies. While Williams clearly made a name for herself online, that also became part of her downfall.
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According to legal documents and court filings first reported by The Game File, James “Archbox” Williams made a number of mistakes that made him a relatively easy man to track down. According to the filing, law firm Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp was hired by Nintendo to investigate online shops offering pirated Nintendo Switch games in 2023. Archbox apparently popped up in the firm's search, and was brought to Nintendo's attention. At the time, not much was known other than the ArcBox handle and their posting history on Reddit made it look like they were located somewhere in Phoenix, Arizona.
Where did Nintendo connect to the Switch pirate?
Exactly how Nintendo tracked down Williams from this basic information is not 100% known. By February 2024, Nintendo had apparently connected ArcBox to two accounts belonging to James Williams. It's unclear if he was using the exact same handle on the Nintendo account or connected email address, but it seems like it could be the case. From there, the game giant looked at email addresses in their own Nintendo repair database and found that James Williams also had an account there, and had already requested repairs, giving Nintendo the physical address they needed to prosecute.
In the end, despite claiming he would cooperate, Williams failed to file a petition in court, resulting in a default judgment awarded to Nintendo. While the post history and the alleged conduct of Archbox indicate that the person has been doing this for a long time, it seems that they were not very good at trying to hide their identity. Some previous searches for Nintendo pirates have led to jail time, showing once again that it's not worth trying to rip off Nintendo.
Nintendo Switch
$285 $300 Save $15
The Nintendo Switch is a hybrid portable and home console that is the only gaming system anyone needs. The hybrid controller is an undeniable success because it offers a high degree of portable visual quality and easily transforms into a home console.
- brand
- Nintendo
- Battery
- Requires 1 lithium polymer battery
- dimensions
- 13.7 x 7.8 x 3.66 inches
- weight
- 2.65 pounds
