Nintendo has filed a lawsuit against streamer Jesse Keighin, known as EveryGameGuru, in the state of Colorado, United States, for alleged piracy and illegal streaming of the company's games. The accusation includes the dissemination and streaming of unreleased games using Switch emulators such as Yuzu and Ryujinx, as well as the distribution of 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 (approximately R$865,000) in damages for each illegal stream. Additionally, they are requesting an extra $2,500 (approximately R$14,000) fine per pirated game and for the promotional links. Nintendo claims the streamer repeatedly violated its copyrights by distributing tools for piracy and emulation.
Nintendo combats piracy on the Switch with legal action
The lawsuit emphasizes that Keighin is a "repeat pirate" for streaming unreleased games and protecting his channels with new profiles whenever the platform blocked his accounts. According to the accusation, 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 the games, Keighin also allegedly received donations from his audience through third-party apps after Nintendo managed to demonetize his main channel. The company also highlighted 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 over" and declared that he "could do this all day.".
For Nintendo, this behavior demonstrates the streamer's intention to systematically circumvent the company's measures to protect its content. Therefore, this 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 that defend the right to use digital copies of games frequently clash over emulators. These software programs simulate the operation of consoles, allowing games to run on computers.
Some defend emulators as a way to preserve games, but their use with unauthorized copies infringes copyright laws. The company has already 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 subject.