Nintendo reportedly hunted down an alleged Switch pirate by tracking their Reddit posts and hardware repairs. Earlier this year, Nintendo resumed its fight against the modded console business with new lawsuits. The main target was James Williams, the main moderator behind the subreddit r/SwitchPirates.
Williams was located after Nintendo commissioned a law firm to investigate online repositories for pirated Switch games, known as “freeshops.” By analyzing Williams’ past posts online, including a 2015 Reddit post by user “archbox,” the firm succeeded in linking “Archbox” with at least two Nintendo accounts under the name James Williams. Additionally, Williams used the same email address for repairs on his Nintendo Switch. This allowed Nintendo’s Product Lifecycle Management group to find his shipping address.
In related news, Nintendo recently moved to shut down streamer Jesse Keighin’s streams via copyright notices on YouTube and other platforms. Keighin allegedly broadcasted unreleased games and instructed others on how to obtain pirated games via “circumvention devices,” actions Nintendo describes as “trafficking.”
Nintendo is now suing Keighin for over $7 million for streaming pre-release titles. The company seeks $150,000 for each alleged violation of the Copyright Act and a further $2,500 for each alleged violation of the Copyright Act’s anti-circumvention and anti-trafficking provisions.
Essentially, Nintendo wants $2,500 for each time Keighin used an emulator to play a Nintendo game, on top of the $7 million in total it’s seeking for separate streaming infringements. The outcome of these lawsuits could set a significant precedent in the ongoing battle against game piracy and pre-release game leaks.
Source: Nintendo tracked Reddit to find pirate
Williams was located after Nintendo commissioned a law firm to investigate online repositories for pirated Switch games, known as “freeshops.” By analyzing Williams’ past posts online, including a 2015 Reddit post by user “archbox,” the firm succeeded in linking “Archbox” with at least two Nintendo accounts under the name James Williams. Additionally, Williams used the same email address for repairs on his Nintendo Switch. This allowed Nintendo’s Product Lifecycle Management group to find his shipping address.
Tracking Reddit posts for piracy
Once acquired, Nintendo sent a cease and desist letter to Williams. Though he initially agreed to cooperate, he later went dark and failed to appear in court, resulting in a default judgment in favor of Nintendo.In related news, Nintendo recently moved to shut down streamer Jesse Keighin’s streams via copyright notices on YouTube and other platforms. Keighin allegedly broadcasted unreleased games and instructed others on how to obtain pirated games via “circumvention devices,” actions Nintendo describes as “trafficking.”
Nintendo is now suing Keighin for over $7 million for streaming pre-release titles. The company seeks $150,000 for each alleged violation of the Copyright Act and a further $2,500 for each alleged violation of the Copyright Act’s anti-circumvention and anti-trafficking provisions.
Essentially, Nintendo wants $2,500 for each time Keighin used an emulator to play a Nintendo game, on top of the $7 million in total it’s seeking for separate streaming infringements. The outcome of these lawsuits could set a significant precedent in the ongoing battle against game piracy and pre-release game leaks.
Source: Nintendo tracked Reddit to find pirate
