A modder in the United States faced the consequences of a lawsuit over a piracy device, being ordered to pay damages and give up their domain and hardware. Not exactly a shocking outcome – modders beware.
The court mandates Modder to permanently close Modded Hardware
Selling modding hardware is not a viable hobby for gaming fans, as Ryan Daly recently discovered the massive $2 million gap between playing around and facing legal challenges. Ryan managed Modded Hardware until September 2025, a platform that offered modified Switch consoles capable of running homebrew or pirated Switch games, as well as selling the necessary tools for others to do the same. When a federal court ruled entirely in favor of Nintendo in their intellectual property lawsuit, as court documents show.
One of the major blunders was defending himself against one of the most lawsuit-happy companies in the gaming industry, as you expect, it didn’t turn out well for him.
Total Device Surrender Required
Daly must do the following as per the judgment handed down:
- Pay $2 million in damages
- Permanently shut down Modded Hardware
- Surrender the website domain to Nintendo
- Turn over all remaining modding hardware and stock
- Accept a permanent ban from selling, possessing, or distributing any console modification devices or documentation
If you’re a modder, this is another case that sends a clear message to halt operations asap, or face the formidable Mario lawyers.
