Nintendo looking to crack down on Switch hackers with new lawsuits
Posted on May 18, 2020 by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch
Late last week, Nintendo of America filed a pair of lawsuits against hacking resellers that sell software to play pirated video games on Switch systems. The first lawsuit involves Tom Dilts Jr., the alleged operator of UberChips, while the second is against several anonymous defendants from a selection of websites.
Nintendo has taken issue with the software, describing it as “an unauthorized operating system … and accompanying piracy tools that install it.” Users are able to circumvent the company’s “technological protection measures” that protect its products from “unauthorized access and copying.” Nintendo’s lawyers note that disabling those measures let players download the unauthorized operating system and play pirated video games.
Although UberChips is currently offline due to “scheduled maintenance,” other websites from the second lawsuit are still up and running. Polygon spotted a kit used for hacking the Switch, which is listed for $47.99. Visitors can also place pre-orders to circumvent protection measures that were previously unhackable in newer Switch models and Switch Lite units. Hundreds of devices have already been sold, and Nintendo said this is causing “tremendous harm” to the company.
The lawsuits indicate that Nintendo is looking for $2,500 per trafficking violation in each of these cases. Additionally, it is requesting a permanent injunction to put an end to these websites’ operations.
