Nintendo has filed a lawsuit against streamer Jesse Keighin, known as EveryGameGuru, in Colorado, United States, for alleged piracy and illegal streaming of the company's games. The charges include promoting and streaming unreleased games using Switch emulators such as Yuzu and Ryujinx, as well as distributing ROMs.
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According to the lawsuit, Keighin allegedly streamed unreleased Nintendo titles at least 50 times over the past two years. The company is seeking $150,000 in damages for each illegal stream. They also requested an additional $2,500 fine per pirated game and for the promotional links. Nintendo claims the streamer repeatedly violated its copyright by distributing piracy and emulation tools.
Nintendo fights Switch piracy with lawsuit
The lawsuit emphasizes that Keighin was a "recidivist pirate" for having streamed unreleased games and protected his channels with new profiles whenever the platform blocked his accounts. According to the indictment, he publicly shared links to emulators and security keys, essential for operating pirated software, facilitating his followers' access to these resources.
In addition to streaming games, Keighin also reportedly received donations from his audience through third-party apps after Nintendo successfully demonetized his main channel. The company also noted that, even after the initial sanctions, the streamer continued to publicly challenge its actions.
According to the lawsuit, after being banned from popular streaming platforms, Keighin returned with new channels and sent provocative messages to Nintendo. In one of the communications, the streamer claimed to have "a thousand channels left" and declared that he "could do this all day."
For Nintendo, this action demonstrates the streamer's intention to systematically circumvent the company's measures to protect its content. Thus, the action represents yet another attempt by Nintendo to reinforce its anti-piracy policy and protect its releases from leaks and illegal streaming.
Emulators and the dispute between Nintendo and piracy
Nintendo and communities defending the right to use digital copies of games frequently clash over emulators. These programs simulate consoles, allowing games to run on computers.
Some advocate emulators as a way to preserve games, but using them with unauthorized copies violates copyright laws. The company has sued and won against emulator developers and websites that distribute ROMs, but game piracy remains a constant challenge, according to the history of cases involving the issue.
