Nintendo is celebrating a court case victory in the Netherlands that says the sale of "devices designed to circumvent Nintendo’s security measures" is unlawful.
Specifically referencing cards such as the MIG Switch Card, the case heard at The Hague District Court (Rechtbank Den Haag) involved a complaint against an online seller 'dropshipping' the devices from Asia. These devices can be used to play pirated copies of games and unofficial software on modified Switch hardware.
Consistent with other legal action brought against distributors, the platform holder argues that the ability of these circumvention devices to enable piracy makes them unlawful, and Nintendo's press release confirms that the Dutch court agrees.
This ruling follows a similar one against Dutch retailers selling "R4 cards" back in 2010. The same court ruled that those cards, designed for Nintendo DS, enabled piracy and their sale was therefore prohibited. Nintendo specifically highlights that 16-year-old victory in its press release.
Here's a section of text from Nintendo's statement detailing the ruling:
This decision follows the previous landmark decision against importers and sellers of Nintendo DS circumvention devices rendered by the same Court in 2010, and further bolsters the legal basis for rights holders to protect against piracy through the use of security measures. The District Court of The Hague followed the reasoning set by the highest European Court (Court of Justice of the European Union) closely and recognised that the primary purpose of these circumvention devices is to circumvent the security measures protecting Nintendo video game consoles and authentic video games, thereby enabling the use of unauthorised copies of Nintendo video games.
Nintendo initiates these actions not only on its own behalf, but also on behalf of the many video game developers globally that depend on legitimate sales of Nintendo video games. Nintendo promotes and fosters game development and creativity and strongly supports the game developers who legitimately create new and innovative games.
In September 2025, Nintendo of America was awarded $2 million in damages in a lawsuit against distributors of MiG Switch devices. Recently, the company enforced the takedown of hundreds of Switch emulator repositories on GitHub in its war on game piracy.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2026/09/nintendo-wins-court-case-ruling-the-sale-of-switch-circumvention-devices-unlawful
