MIG Switch seller who took on Nintendo without a lawyer loses case, will settle for $2 million

Nintendo makes headway on its war against unauthorized modding with yet another lawsuit victory.

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In 2024, Nintendo filed a lawsuit against Ryan Daly, who ran an online shop called moddedhardware.com that sold modded Nintendo hardware. Daly made headlines for his refusal to hire legal counsel and choosing to take on Nintendo without a lawyer.

Fast-forwarding to the present day, and Daly has essentially taken the loss against Nintendo's lawyers. In a new joint settlement proposal, Daly has agreed to settle the case for a hefty $2 million on top of a permanent injunction barring Daly from, among other things, ever running a store like this again.

According to the documents, Daly's website allegedly sold modded Switch consoles that were capable of play pirated and hacked games, as well as the MIG Switch, a cartridge-based piracy tool.

It's worth mentioning that the judge in this case--Grady J. Leupold--has yet to render a verdict or make a judgment on the proposal.

Nintendo has a zero-tolerance policy on copyright infringement, especially as it pertains to hardware-based modifications or piracy. Back in 2021, Nintendo sued members of Team Xecuter, a group that sold circumvention hardware similar to the MIG Switch. Gary Bowser was among those sued, and Bowser served jail time while also being charged with $10 million in damages.

However, as is usually the case with these big-money payouts, Nintendo is unlikely to see that full sum from Daly or even Bowser; instead of collecting the full amount from Bowser, Nintendo opted to garnish his wages instead.