Nintendo sued James Williams, known online as Archbox, in 2024, accusing him of running multiple pirated Switch game shops. Since the defendant never appeared in court, the judge ruled in Nintendo's favor by default, ordering $4.5 million in damages and the shutdown of all related shops.
A $4.5 million payout, but no courtroom showdown to speak of — just an empty seat where the defendant should have been.
Nintendo of America has been awarded $4.5 million in damages in a lawsuit over the sale of pirated Switch games. The suit was originally filed in 2024 against a man going by the online handle Archbox, whose real name is James Williams. In its complaint, Nintendo accused Williams of being the "operator, overseer, and mastermind" behind multiple "Pirate Shops."
According to tech outlet Aftermath, Williams was reportedly once a moderator of the Reddit community r/SwitchPirates. The subreddit is still active today, but Williams is no longer listed among its moderators.
The real turning point in the case was that Williams never showed up in court and never filed any defense. As a result, the court entered a default judgment straight in Nintendo's favor. Nintendo's legal team is famously ruthless, but this time there was barely any fight to be had — the opponent simply never appeared.
Beyond the monetary damages, the court also ordered Williams to "immediately cease providing public access to any online shop he owns or controls that hosts a library of pirated Nintendo Switch game downloads." On paper, that means these piracy shops have officially been ordered shut down. As for whether they've actually been taken offline and whether the damages will ever be collected, there's no further information at this time.
Start with a brand tag or a section to build your own reading list.
Nintendo Switch 2 Game Festa runs October 30–November 8 in Goyang and Hanam, with different games and weekend characters. QR rewards have account and stock conditions.
Gentle Monster’s Manhattan preview runs through November 23 by reservation. Its Gemini-powered eyewear starts at $449 in the US and launches December 10.
The Disney+ app on Quest 3 and 3S now includes a 3D library and the high-frame-rate version of Avatar, but Horizon OS's window limitations and so-so speaker quality make this a mixed bag.
AI proposes base-station settings and a digital twin tests them first. Samsung and KT report a stadium trial with up to 34% lower load imbalance.
Samsung is bringing Victory Selfie to the Youth Olympic Games for the first time. Galaxy S26 Ultra complements broadcast cameras in skateboarding and taekwondo, with interactive experiences and mentoring in the Olympic Village.
A 40mm magnetic-fluid driver, adaptive noise cancellation and USB-C audio meet a metal Flow Arm design. Japan’s planned launch is November 19.