Nintendo Seeks $4.5 Million Default Judgment Against Switch Pirate “Archbox”

Nintendo of America has filed a motion for default judgment against self-proclaimed game "pirate" James C. Williams, better known online as “Archbox,” in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

The filing comes after years of alleged large-scale piracy involving Nintendo Switch titles and circumvention tools, with Williams reportedly refusing to cooperate with the court or cease his activities.

What Is the Case About?

According to Nintendo’s motion, the company accuses Williams of “creating, operating, supporting, and promoting a network of Pirate Shops which have offered to the public extensive libraries of pirated Nintendo Switch games for free download.”

These Pirate Shops allegedly distributed unauthorized digital copies of Nintendo Switch titles or “ROMs” hosted on servers and cloud storage platforms such as Google Drive.

From 2019 through 2024, Williams maintained a strong presence on the Reddit group r/SwitchPirates, where he served as one of its leading moderators, helping the community grow to nearly 190,000 members. In this role, the motion states, “Williams posted thousands of messages to the SwitchPirates Reddit community — where a badge accompanying his username stated ‘Moderator – jits/shops support’ — including messages directing users to the Pirate Shops and soliciting ‘donations’ of Nintendo eShop gift cards for the purchase of games to be copied and distributed on the Pirate Shops.”

Nintendo further claims that Williams “offered technical advice and encouragement about how to use the Pirate Shops, how to download and install Circumvention Software, and how to play pirated copies of Nintendo Switch games.”

The filing identifies several of the major platforms Williams allegedly operated or supported, including JITS, Turtle in the Shop, NekoDrive, and LiberaShop. JITS distributed pirated Nintendo Switch titles along with circumvention tools, while Turtle in the Shop was described as “a backup shop available for people when JITS is down.” The motion adds that NekoDrive merged with Turtle in the Shop to form a joint piracy platform, and that LiberaShop distributed over 33,000 digital copies of Nintendo Switch games as well as other games.

Another community, called “Missing Dumps,” allegedly played a key role in sourcing pirated material. Nintendo’s filing describes it as a group formed around 2021 with the stated purpose of “acquiring new content which works its way to being available to the entire Switch community.” Williams was allegedly the group’s only lead member. Through a gift-card donation scheme, members would contribute Nintendo eShop gift cards that were then used to buy digital copies of Switch games, which were later reproduced and distributed using circumvention software.

Nintendo’s claims include direct and indirect copyright infringement, violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), breach of contract related to Nintendo’s End-User License Agreements (EULAs), and tortious interference — essentially, encouraging others to break Nintendo’s user contracts by using illegal software or games.

Nintendo’s Legal Action

Nintendo first tried to resolve the issue outside of court. According to the case documents, the company sent cease and desist letters to Williams in early 2024. While Williams initially acknowledged the violations and expressed a willingness to comply, he did not follow through. By mid-2024, communications had ceased, prompting Nintendo to take legal action.

On June 28, 2024, Nintendo filed its official complaint. After being formally served on August 13, 2024, Williams failed to respond, leading Nintendo to request a default entry — a step that allows a court to proceed when one party stops participating. The Clerk of Court entered the default on November 8, 2024, confirming Williams’ lack of engagement.

Nintendo also obtained permission to conduct third-party discovery, essentially investigating via Internet service providers, to confirm the extent of Williams’ activities and identify any potential accomplices. This additional evidence, according to the company, confirmed his continued involvement in Switch piracy networks.

With the defendant absent from court proceedings, Nintendo’s motion for default judgment, filed on October 3, 2025, seeks to finalize the case in its favor.

Nintendo is requesting $4.5 million in statutory damages, based on willful infringement of 30 Nintendo Switch games.

In addition to monetary damages, Nintendo is asking for a permanent injunction that would bar Williams from further distributing, trafficking, or using any of Nintendo’s copyrighted materials or tools that circumvent its protections.

The next hearing is scheduled for October 24, 2025.