Nintendo’s $4.5 Million Archbox Judgment Explained: 30 Games, a Default Ruling and an Injunction

Nintendo of America has obtained a USD 4.5 million judgment against James C. Williams, known online as Archbox, in a civil Nintendo Switch piracy case. The headline figure is substantial, but the order is more specific: it is the maximum statutory copyright award for 30 listed games, accompanied by a permanent injunction.

On September 23, 2026, U.S. District Judge Lauren King granted Nintendo’s motion for default judgment and a permanent injunction in Nintendo of America Inc. v. Williams. The $4.5 million was not a jury award based on a calculation of Nintendo’s lost sales, and it did not follow a contested trial.

Why the Archbox judgment is $4.5 million

The court awarded Nintendo $150,000 for each of 30 games listed in Schedule A to its complaint, producing the $4.5 million total. Judge King identified $150,000 as the statutory maximum for willful copyright infringement and concluded that the maximum award was appropriate for each of the 30 works.

“$150,000 for each of the 30 videogames listed in Schedule A”

U.S. District Judge Lauren King in the September 23 default-judgment order

That arithmetic is central to understanding the result. The order says Nintendo had not specifically quantified its lost revenue and explains that a copyright holder may elect statutory damages instead of actual damages and profits. The $4.5 million is therefore a statutory remedy, not a finding that Nintendo proved the same amount in lost sales.

Nintendo intentionally limited its request to maximum copyright damages for 30 representative games. In its motion for default judgment, the company also said it was not seeking statutory damages for the alleged Digital Millennium Copyright Act anti-trafficking violations, attorneys’ fees or costs.

What “default judgment” means in this case

The result came through a default judgment because Williams did not answer the lawsuit or otherwise present a defense despite receiving notice, according to the court’s order.

The case consequently did not proceed to an adversarial trial in which Nintendo and Williams disputed the evidence before a judge or jury. The court instead evaluated Nintendo’s motion for default judgment, including its request for statutory damages and an injunction. Describing the award as a trial verdict or a jury’s calculation of Nintendo’s financial harm would be inaccurate.

Judge King concluded that maximum damages for the selected works were warranted, writing, “Williams’ egregious infringement activities merit substantial punishment here.” That language is the court’s assessment in the default-judgment order, not the outcome of a contested merits trial.

What the permanent injunction requires

The monetary judgment is only one part of the ruling. The injunction directs Williams to disable access to covered online shops and to social-media, communication and commerce accounts under his control that were used to distribute pirated Nintendo Switch games or circumvention technology.

The account and shop restrictions are intended to stop the covered distribution activity in addition to giving Nintendo a monetary judgment. The court order sets out the permanent injunction alongside the statutory-damages award.

What the ruling does not establish

• It does not establish that Nintendo has collected $4.5 million from Williams.
• It does not establish that Nintendo suffered exactly $4.5 million in lost sales or other actual economic damage.
• It is not a criminal conviction.
• It does not resolve whether Williams will file a post-judgment challenge.

Whether Nintendo will recover the full amount remains uncertain. TorrentFreak reported that the collection prospects are unclear, which is a practical assessment rather than a finding made in the court order.

The immediate legal result is clear: Nintendo has a $4.5 million civil judgment and a permanent injunction against Williams. The necessary qualification is just as important—the amount is the maximum statutory award for 30 selected games in an undefended case, not a verified measure of money Nintendo has lost or already recovered.