Nintendo Wins $2M Judgment, Broad Injunction Against Modded Hardware

Nintendo has secured a stipulated judgment ordering a Michigan man to pay $2 million and accept a broad injunction after a federal court found his business sold devices and services that enabled large scale piracy of Switch games. The order, signed September 5 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, resolves a lawsuit filed by Nintendo in July 2024 against Ryan Michael Daly, who operated an online storefront called Modded Hardware.

According to court filings, Nintendo first warned Daly in March 2024 to cease selling modded consoles and flashcarts such as the MIG Switch and MIG Dumper, which the company says enable the ripping and running of pirated game copies. Nintendo alleged that Daly persisted in selling premodified Switch systems, modchips and piracy enabling tools, and operated a mail in service that returned hacked consoles to customers. After the warning went unheeded, Nintendo filed suit asserting claims under copyright law and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Daly initially contested the allegations and represented himself in the litigation, repeatedly denying wrongdoing in filings, the record shows. He later agreed to the stipulated...