A Washington federal judge has issued a default judgment against James Williams, a Reddit moderator who operated under the handle 'archbox.' The ruling concludes a lawsuit filed by Nintendo in 2024, which accused Williams of being a central figure in the r/SwitchPirates community. According to the court documents, Williams was responsible for distributing pirated Nintendo Switch software and managing online stores that hosted these illegal game libraries.

As part of the judgment, Williams is required to pay $4.5 million in damages to the gaming company. Furthermore, the court has ordered the immediate shutdown of the online stores associated with the piracy operation. The lawsuit alleged that Williams leveraged his position as a leading moderator to solicit 'donations' in the form of Nintendo eShop gift cards and game copies to sustain the piracy network. Because the judgment was a default ruling—meaning the defendant failed to respond to the legal action—the court granted Nintendo’s requests without a contested trial. This case highlights Nintendo’s ongoing aggressive legal strategy against individuals and groups involved in the unauthorized distribution of its intellectual property.