Nintendo has successfully obtained a new financial settlement from a legal action taken against an individual who manufactured items intended for illicit Nintendo Switch game piracy. Known for its strict stance on piracy, console modification, and game emulation, Nintendo was awarded a judgment requiring the defendant to pay $2 million.
An X user named OatmealDome brought to light that Ryan Michael Daly was determined by a Washington district court to have harmed Nintendo by creating and selling modified hardware. Court records show that Daly`s products were `primarily designed` to bypass Nintendo`s `technological protection measures` (TPMs). The court concluded that Daly`s activities inflicted `significant and irreparable harm` upon Nintendo of America (NOA).
In addition to the $2 million payment to Nintendo, Daly is permanently forbidden from circumventing Nintendo`s security or digital rights management systems, and from assisting others in modifying or pirating Nintendo products. The court also ordered the confiscation and destruction of all equipment Daly used in his modding enterprise.
This incident reflects Nintendo`s consistent pattern of imposing severe penalties on those who develop software or hardware enabling game piracy. A prominent example is the case of hacker Gary Bowser (whose actual name it is), who was sentenced to pay Nintendo $15 million after serving jail time. Nintendo retains the right to garnish his earnings until the full sum is collected.
Furthermore, Nintendo has intensified its efforts against individuals who create and promote emulation software. For example, last year, the company collaborated with YouTube to issue copyright strikes against content creators featuring emulated Nintendo games and hardware in their videos.