Court Enters $4.5 Million Default Judgment for Nintendo of America Against 'Archbox,' Reportedly a r/SwitchPirates Moderator

On September 23, 2026, docket entry 29 in Nintendo of America's case against James C. Williams recorded an order stating: 'The Court GRANTS NOA's motion for default judgment and a permanent injunction ... Default judgment shall enter in favor of NOA and against Williams. Signed by Judge Lauren King.' Docket entry 30, dated the same day, recorded that 'default judgment is hereby ENTERED against Defendant James C. Williams' and that Nintendo of America 'is awarded: (1) $4,500,000 in statutory damages for copyright infringement pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 504(c)(2),' followed by a second item providing for a permanent injunction. Entry 31, also dated September 23, was a 'REPORT on the filing or determination of an action' that was 'Mailed to the US Copyright Office.'

Aftermath reported on September 24 that Nintendo of America 'was awarded $4.5 million in damages in its lawsuit against a Reddit moderator who allegedly sold pirated Nintendo Switch games,' and that Nintendo sued James Williams, 'who goes by Archbox online,' on June 28, 2024 in a Washington district court. Aftermath wrote that the win was a default judgment, 'which means that Williams did not respond to the lawsuit in court.' The docket shows Nintendo of America filed its motion for default judgment on October 3, 2025, with two supporting declarations. Techloy's summary said 'this was not a trial' and that Williams 'never defended the lawsuit,' and Techloy reported that Nintendo alleged he 'operated and promoted websites that distributed extensive libraries of pirated Switch games.'

On the moderator description, Aftermath wrote that Williams 'was reportedly a moderator of the /r/SwitchPirates subreddit' and that, according to Nintendo, he was the 'operator, overseer, and driving force behind several Pirate Shops.' It added that the subreddit 'is still active, but Williams does not appear to be listed as a moderator.' The docket excerpts reviewed for this entry do not mention Reddit or r/SwitchPirates; the moderator description comes from press reports, and the allegations about the shops are Nintendo's. Aftermath also quoted the default judgment filing, as written by Washington court clerk Joshua C. Lewis and deputy clerk Natalie Wood: 'To effectuate this injunction, Williams shall immediately disable access to all online "shops" that he operates or otherwise controls which have offered to the public extensive libraries of pirated Nintendo Switch games for download.'

Aftermath, citing Game File's November 2024 reporting, wrote that 'Nintendo tracked Williams down via Reddit, then linked him to a Nintendo account that had filed for hardware repairs from Nintendo,' and that the company sent a repaired piece of hardware to Williams' address 'just days before the cease-and-desist that eventually led to the lawsuit.' The docket separately shows that Nintendo of America moved on November 22, 2024 for leave to take limited early discovery and that the court granted the motion on December 13, 2024, with the order signed by Judge Lauren King.