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A Nintendo console modder who refused to shut down his business despite warnings from Nintendo — and who then defended the ensuing lawsuit without a lawyer — has been ordered to pay $2 million.
In July 2024, Michigan resident Ryan Daly was accused by Nintendo of running Modded Hardware, a company that sold modified Switch consoles, pirated games, and piracy-enabling devices such as the MIG Switch.
Despite a prior warning from Nintendo that asked Daly to cease his operations, the modder persisted — and it was this point that a lawsuit was filed against him. In October last year, it was revealed that Daly had decided to fight the case himself, without legal representation, while denying wrongdoing and listing off a string of defenses for his other actions.
Nearly a year on and, perhaps unsurprisingly, Nintendo has now won the case — and in a judgment dated September 5, Daly has been ordered to pay $2 million in damages and accept a permanent injunction from any future piracy-enabling activities.
The court found that Daly, who did indeed run 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 be created, distributed and played “on a massive scale.” Documentation also shows that Daly did indeed continue to defend the case without further legal representation.
Nintendo’s victory is only the latest in a long line of lawsuits from the company that continue to make examples out of those who pirate its games — such as Gary Bowser, an employee of a company that sold anti-piracy devices, who served time in jail and was ordered to pay $14.5m, a debt he’s said he will now repay for the rest of his life.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
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