Key Takeaways
- Nintendo will do anything in its power to protect its brand from bad actors, just ask James “Archbox” Williams.
- Via Reddit posts, as well as hardware repairs requested, Nintendo was able to determine that Williams was the culprit behind pirated Switch software.
- The end result is a hefty lawsuit that once again proves Nintendo will come after bad actors.
As we have reported on numerous times in the past, Nintendo can and will find bad actors, including those providing ROMs, emulator software or even those streaming games early. We can now safely add a Nintendo Switch pirate to the list of individuals located by Nintendo.
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However, this isn’t some run-of-the-mill nabbing. No. Nintendo went through great lengths, including utilizing Reddit, along with in-house repairs to determine just how its games were ending up online. The end result is a hefty lawsuit against James “Archbox” Williams.
Be Careful What You Share Online
As reported by Stephen Totilo of Game File, Nintendo was able to pinpoint who “Archbox” was through some rather unconventional means. Originally, TorrentFreak reported that Williams was served a suit in July, one of multiple that Nintendo filed.
Now, Totilo has provided the details of how it all came to be. To start, Nintendo hired the law firm Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp to investigate sites hosting pirated Switch games. That firm was able to determine that “Archbox” was a culprit, and that the individual lived in Phoenix, Ariz., and attended Midwestern University.
How they were able to determine that is via Reddit, where a user named “archbox” posted to a Switch pirating subreddit, as well as a sub dedicated to Phoenix and referenced Midwestern University. From there, Nintendo was able to link two accounts between Williams and “Archbox,” though the exact methods are unclear.
What’s more, Nintendo used two of Williams’ email addresses to discover that he had requested hardware repairs from Nintendo. The customer’s information also pointed to an address in the Arizona area, further linking the two personas. Eventually, a cease-and-desist was sent to Williams, which he received, though he failed to respond to further communications, resulting in a default judgment for Nintendo.
The full story is the stuff of super spy movies, and even includes photographic evidence of Williams’ repair requests. As we’ve iterated in the past, do not mess with Nintendo. And if you’re planning on ignoring that, then be careful what you share on the internet. “Archbox” or James Williams learned that lesson first-hand.
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