Nintendo reportedly went after an alleged Switch pirate by tracking his posts on Reddit.
Earlier this year, after putting Switch pirate Gary Bowser behind bars and attacking emulator software Yuzu, Nintendo renewed its fight against the modified console business with new lawsuits, including one against James “Archbox” Williams, who was the lead moderator behind r/SwitchPirates.
As reported by Game File, it appears that Williams was located after Nintendo commissioned a law firm to investigate “free stores” or online repositories of pirated Switch games.
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By analyzing Williams' previous posts online, including one by Reddit user “archbox” in 2015 that was highly complementary about Midwestern University's optometry clinic, the firm helped the Japanese company “successfully link Archbox with al minus two Nintendo accounts for an individual named James.” Williams.”
And because Williams apparently used the same email address to repair his Nintendo Switch, staff in Nintendo's Product Lifecycle Management group were able to find his shipping address.
Once it acquired Williams' management, Nintendo sent a cease and desist, after which Williams initially agreed to “comply and cooperate” with Nintendo's demands. However, Williams then went dark and did not appear in court, violating the ruling in favor of Nintendo.
ICYMI, last week Nintendo filed a new lawsuit against a streamer that streamed 10 pirated games before their release, including The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and Mario & Luigi: Brothership.
When Nintendo decided to shut down streamer Jesse Keighin's streams via copyright notices on YouTube, Twitch, and other streaming platforms, he allegedly told them that he “could do this all day” and that he had “a thousand accounts banned.”
Nintendo further alleges that in addition to streaming unreleased games, it also instructed others on how to obtain pirated games through “circumvention devices” that Nintendo calls “trafficking.”