Nintendo of America has achieved a decisive legal victory in its ongoing battle against console modification and piracy. A U.S. federal court has entered a $2 million judgment against Ryan Michael Daly, who operated under the business name Modded Hardware. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, concluded with both financial penalties and a sweeping permanent injunction that effectively ends Daly’s involvement in the modding scene.
The case centered on Daly’s sale of devices and services that bypassed Nintendo Switch security protections, which are designed to prevent unauthorized access to copyrighted games and the system software. Among the products he offered were the MIG Switch, a device that allowed users to run pirated games, and the MIG Dumper, which enabled copying of physical game cartridges onto computer storage. Daly also sold mod chips, pre-hacked consoles, installation services, and pirated Nintendo titles directly to customers.
The court found Daly in violation of both the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and federal copyright law. The September 5, 2025, judgment requires him to pay $2 million in damages and abide by a permanent injunction that bars him from engaging in any future circumvention activities. This includes selling or possessing modchips, flashcarts, or hacked consoles, hosting or maintaining related websites, and even investing in businesses that might deal in similar products. In addition, his website will be transferred to Nintendo’s control, and all modding devices currently in his possession will be seized and destroyed.
Nintendo has argued that such tools cause “significant and irreparable harm” by enabling large-scale piracy, undermining its intellectual property rights, and damaging consumer trust in the platform. The ruling represents one of the company’s most forceful legal actions against console modification to date, serving both as punishment for the offender and as a warning to others involved in similar practices.
