Nintendo is subpoenaing Google, Discord, Reddit and others over its ongoing crackdown on Switch pirates

Nintendo is taking action against more unauthorized Switch shops and modders and has asked a US district court to subpoena business records from various companies to identify suspected pirates.

As Game File reports, Nintendo is specifically targeting a subreddit called SwitchPirates, which has over 190,000 members.

This is a continuation of Nintendo’s lawsuit against James “Archbox” Williams over various alleged piracy charges, which the company won via default judgment after Williams failed to appear in court.

“Because Mr. Williams has elected not to appear in these proceedings, (Nintendo of America) is unable to serve him with a notice of discovery or take his deposition,” Nintendo said in the court filing. “Accordingly, without third-party discovery, it will be impossible for NOA to determine the identities of the unnamed individuals who worked with Mr. Williams in operating the pirate stores or otherwise making pirated Nintendo games available to the public. As set forth below, NOA has identified a number of third parties who are likely to have information that will assist NOA in identifying some of these unnamed individuals.”

Nintendo has asked the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington to subpoena companies including Cloudflare, Discord, Github, Google and Reddit to identify people who were allegedly involved in piracy-related actions alongside Wiliams.

“The defendant (James Williams) was a primary moderator of the SwitchPirates community under the name ‘Archbox,’ which had more than 190,000 members,” the court document continues. “Nintendo has reason to believe that other accounts active in the SwitchPirates community may also have been controlled by the defendant or may reflect other individuals who have worked with the defendant.”

Nintendo has also subpoenaed Internet domain companies Go Daddy, Name Cheap and Tucows.

“The purpose of any requested subpoenas is to obtain relevant information necessary for (Nintendo of America) to pursue infringement claims,” the company added.

Earlier this year, Switch emulator Ryujinx was shut down at Nintendo’s request, and the platform owner also issued a copyright strike against a YouTube channel that reviews retro handheld emulators.

Nintendo also filed a lawsuit against streamer Jesse “Every Game Guru” Keighin for broadcasting gameplay from 10 pirated versions before their release in November.

The company is also involved in a lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair, which it filed in September. The studio faces claims of infringement on three patents, as well as a possible injunction and damages of at least $65,000.