Nintendo filed a lawsuit against Modded Hardware last year over copyright infringement, and the case has now come to a close. The U.S. court ruled in Nintendo’s favor, ordering company operator Ryan Daly to pay $2 million, surrender the Modded Hardware domain, and destroy all equipment tied to his business.

Nintendo has a long track record of aggressively pursuing those who tamper with its consoles. This latest legal battle targeted Modded Hardware, a group notorious for modifying Switch hardware and firmware to enable piracy and other unauthorized uses.

After nearly a year of proceedings, the verdict has been delivered, and Nintendo emerged victorious in the $2 million case.

At first, Daly denied any wrongdoing, insisting there wasn’t enough evidence and even claiming fair use protections. None of those arguments held up in court. Judges concluded that his activities inflicted “serious and irreparable harm” on Nintendo through systematic copyright violations.

Modded Hardware previously sold a device called the MIG Switch, which mimicked a legitimate Switch cartridge and allowed users to boot up pirated games. The company also dealt in mod chips, hacked consoles, and jailbreaking services.

The final judgment not only requires Daly to pay Nintendo $2 million in statutory damages, but also imposes a lifetime ban preventing him from selling the MIG Switch, any modified hardware, or offering related services. In addition, he must hand over the Modded Hardware website and destroy all remaining devices tied to his operation.

Source: tech4gamers