Nintendo wins approximately 300 million yen in damages from sellers of modified Nintendo Switches, permanently banning them from reverse engineering Nintendo systems or linking to related materials
Nintendo has won a $2 million (approximately ¥295 million) damages and a comprehensive injunction against Ryan Michael Daly, the operator of Modded Hardware, a website that sells modified Nintendo game consoles. Daly defended himself without a lawyer and ultimately consented to the judgment.
Nintendo secures $2 million settlement against Switch modder — Modded Hardware creator agreed to stop selling backup devices, but continued to, prompting lawsuit | Tom's Hardware
Nintendo demanded that Daily, the operator of Modded Hardware, the seller of MIG Switch and MIG Dumper, tools that allow users to play modified Nintendo Switch devices and pirated games illegally distributed online, 'cease selling unauthorized devices' in March 2024. Daily initially agreed to the suspension, but later retracted the agreement, prompting Nintendo to file a lawsuit against him. Daily was self-representing himself without a lawyer.
While MIG Dumper was advertised as a tool for backing up legitimately owned games, Nintendo's complaint and settlement judgment characterize the hardware as a 'copyright infringement enablement device.' According to the complaint, the tools sold by Daily 'had no commercially significant purpose or use other than to circumvent Nintendo's technological protection measures and infringe Nintendo's copyrights.'
On September 5, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, which handled the lawsuit between Nintendo and Mr. Daily, Mr. Daily agreed to pay $2 million in damages and a permanent ban from reverse engineering Nintendo's game consoles or linking to related materials. This finally brought an end to the year-long legal battle. Mr. Daily admitted violating copyright law and the anti-circumvention provisions of
Nintendo won approximately 300 million yen in damages, but the ruling is harsh even from Nintendo's perspective, as technology media Tom's Hardware points out. In addition to the damages, the court also issued a 'permanent injunction prohibiting Daily from selling or possessing any device that disables the Nintendo Switch's protection features, including the MIG Switch and MIG Dumper.'
Nintendo also obtained the right to seize Daily's Modded Hardware website, but was ordered to hand over to Daily any remaining inventory and hardware used to develop and distribute the modding tools.
The injunction also prohibits Daily from reverse engineering the Nintendo system, hosting tutorials, or linking to materials that show how to circumvent technology protection measures. Additionally, it invokes the All Writs Act to compel third parties, including web hosts and registrars, to cooperate in permanently shutting down Daily.
This is not the first time Nintendo has sued modders. In 2021, the company sued Team-Xecuter hacker Gary Bowser for distributing modified Nintendo Switch chips, and won a damages order worth hundreds of millions of yen.
Bowser, who was released from prison, must pay Nintendo over 1.3 billion yen - GIGAZINE
