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What Happened to the Switch Modder Who Faced Nintendo Without a Lawyer?

Ryan Michael Daly’s pro se response was only an early chapter in Nintendo’s lawsuit. The case ended in a stipulated $2 million judgment and permanent injunction in September 2025.
Length2 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Ryan Michael Daly, the Switch modder associated with Modded Hardware, initially responded to Nintendo’s lawsuit without a lawyer. That was the October 2024 snapshot: Daly denied Nintendo’s allegations and listed potential defenses. The case later ended in a stipulated $2 million judgment and permanent injunction in September 2025—not a contested trial.

Why did Nintendo sue Ryan Michael Daly?

Nintendo of America filed Nintendo of America Inc. v. Daly, No. 2:24-cv-00958, on June 28, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. The Justia docket record identifies the parties, court and filing date.

In its complaint, Nintendo alleged that Daly, doing business as Modded Hardware, sold modified Switch consoles, modding services and devices that enabled piracy. Those were Nintendo’s claims, not findings by a court. Ars Technica’s October 8, 2024 account reported on the allegations and Daly’s response.

What did Daly’s response say?

In October 2024, Daly was reported to have filed an initial response pro se—meaning he represented himself, without a lawyer. He denied Nintendo’s allegations and listed potential defenses. Those defenses were arguments in his response, not rulings that a court had accepted or decided.

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At that point, the pleadings left the dispute unresolved. The question of whether the defenses would hold up was later overtaken by the parties’ stipulated resolution.

What happened to the case?

In September 2025, the parties stipulated to a $2 million judgment and a permanent injunction, according to reports by Nintendo Life and Tom’s Hardware. The reports say Daly admitted to copyright and DMCA anti-circumvention violations as part of the resolution.

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This was a stipulated judgment, not a jury verdict after a contested trial. The injunction reportedly restricts the sale or possession of circumvention devices and related conduct. Nintendo Life quoted the court document as stating: “Defendant’s conduct has caused NOA significant and irreparable harm.” That is the order’s wording as quoted by the publication.

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How to read the case’s timeline

When Procedural status What it establishes
June 28, 2024 Nintendo filed its federal case in Washington. The docket record identifies the parties and case number.
October 2024 Daly’s reported pro se response denied the allegations and listed potential defenses. It records Daly’s position at that stage; it does not establish that a court ruled on those defenses.
September 2025 The parties stipulated to a $2 million judgment and permanent injunction. Reports describe admissions and restrictions included in the resolution; it was not a contested-trial verdict.

The available reports establish the September 2025 resolution. They do not establish whether a later appeal, enforcement action or other docket event followed.

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