The anonymity of the internet seems to make some people believe that they can get away with almost anything online. But Nintendo may have just given future Switch pirates some reasons to reconsider their actions after tracking down a man by playing detective online.
Earlier this year, Nintendo sued James Williams, a moderator for a Switch pirates page on Reddit who posted under the name Archbox. At the time, it wasn’t clear how Nintendo had determined that Williams was the man behind Archbox, but Game File‘s new report details some of Williams’ alleged missteps along the way.
Williams’ first apparent mistake was that he posted some genuinely personal intel on Reddit that indicated he had previously attended Midwestern University and currently lived near Phoenix, Arizona. Nintendo didn’t elaborate on how it used that info to narrow down Williams’ identity, but it did note his second mistake: He sent in his Switch to Nintendo for repairs.
Once Nintendo identified Williams, the company’s lawyers sent him a cease-and-desist letter directly to his address. According to the report, Williams replied that he would comply with their demand, but denied that he violated Nintendo’s IP. Subsequently, Nintendo notes that Williams stopped replying to the company and didn’t plead his case in court before the scheduled deadlines. Therefore Nintendo has been given a default judgment against Williams.
Since Nintendo has accused Williams of selling hardware hacks and offering modified Switch consoles with pirated games, he could be facing a substantial financial penalty. And if Nintendo’s sleuthing activities are any indication, he won’t be the only pirate that the company goes after.