Nintendo lawsuit ends in $2 million settlement against Mig Switch seller accused of aiding piracy
Nintendo has scored another victory against piracy after settling its lawsuit against Ryan Daly. The gaming giant had accused him of selling the Mig Switch and related items on the Modded Hardware storefront.
Buyers could use the tools at Modded Hardware to make copies of and play pirated games on Switch consoles. After litigation in a U.S. federal court, Game Rant reports that Daly must pay Nintendo $2 million. He is also permanently banned from distributing similar products.
The Mig Flash Dumper creates pirated copies of Nintendo Switch games from cartridges. Meanwhile, the Mig Flash, in conjunction with a microSD card, is recognized by the console's Game Card slot. Besides the Mig devices, Nintendo also claimed that Daly sold pirated games and hacked consoles to customers. The settlement affirms that he violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and was guilty of copyright infringement.
Due to its popularity and ease of use, the Mig Switch is a prime target for a Nintendo lawsuit. After updated firmware allowed it to work on the Switch 2, the company took more aggressive action. Some gamers using the modified cartridges have reportedly been blocked from online services.
Nintendo has also become more vigilant in stopping the sharing and downloading of Nintendo Switch ROMs. In July, the FBI seized the NSw2u website, which was a popular host for these files. Gamers could download ROMs for Switch games and boot them in the Mig Flash.
Emulators remain a concern for Nintendo
PC users can run pirated copies of games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in the Yuzu emulator. Nintendo's lawsuit against Tropic Haze led to a $2.4 million settlement. There is also a permanent injunction against further development of the program.
Even with Nintendo's triumph over Modded Hardware and Yuzu, the modding community remains active. Other pirate shops sell modded consoles and Mig Switch devices. Meanwhile, emulators and ROMs remain available on numerous websites.
The next objective for hackers is cracking Switch 2 games, even if Nintendo made its latest handheld less susceptible to piracy. Modders are undoubtedly seeking ways to circumvent the added protections.
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