Switch Modder Who Ignored Warnings from Nintendo and Attempted to Defend Himself Without a Lawyer Ultimately Must Pay $2 Million for Enabling Piracy

A Nintendo console modder who refused to unopen down his concern contempt warnings from Nintendo — and who past defended the ensuing suit without a lawyer — has been ordered to wage $2 million.

In July 2024, Michigan nonmigratory Ryan Daly was accused by Nintendo of moving Modded Hardware, a institution that sold modified Switch consoles, pirated games, and piracy-enabling devices specified arsenic the MIG Switch.

Despite a anterior informing from Nintendo that asked Daly to cease his operations, the modder persisted — and it was this constituent that a suit was filed against him. In October past year, it was revealed that Daly had decided to combat the lawsuit himself, without ineligible representation, portion denying wrongdoing and listing disconnected a drawstring of defenses for his different actions.

Nearly a twelvemonth connected and, possibly unsurprisingly, Nintendo has present won the lawsuit — and successful a judgement dated September 5, Daly has been ordered to wage $2 cardinal successful damages and judge a imperishable injunction from immoderate aboriginal piracy-enabling activities.

The tribunal recovered that Daly, who did so tally Modded Hardware, sold piracy-enabling devices, hacked consoles and mod chips that caused Nintendo of America "significant and irreparable harm", and which allowed for pirate copies of Nintendo games to beryllium created, distributed and played "on a monolithic scale." Documentation besides shows that Daly did so proceed to support the lawsuit without further ineligible representation.

Nintendo's triumph is lone the latest successful a agelong enactment of lawsuits from the institution that proceed to marque examples retired of those who pirate its games — specified arsenic Gary Bowser, an worker of a institution that sold anti-piracy devices, who served clip successful jailhouse and was ordered to wage $14.5m, a indebtedness he's said helium volition present repay for the remainder of his life.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social