The man who Nintendo sued for $1.6 MILLION

In 2009, Nintendo's new game was leaked and uploaded to the internet. Within a month, Nintendo caught the culprit, and sued him for $1.5 million, plus another $100k in legal fees. Here's the full story!

CORRECTION
The Ganon figure wasn’t an amiibo, sorry! I didn’t realise Nintendo just packaged Wind Waker with a …normal statue!

SOURCES

CREDITS
Image of Australian Law Courts © Google 2021
Jeff Bezos photograph taken by Steve Jurvetson

[KongsNutz]

I just want to say to Thomas Games Docs, you did a decent job with the info that's actually out there. After 12 years certain things are hidden from the public but I think I'm safe to talk about them now.

[PrimmsHoodCinema]

He could've just uploaded a video to prove he had it lol. He didnt have to upload the whole game 😭😭

[DJJD]

This never would have happened if he would have used today's sponsor, Nord VPN!

[mizzysparrots]

This is why I tell people on etsy to stop making Nintendo fan art products. They can and will go after you in time.

[mopbrothers]

Sounds like you’d be in less trouble cheating the IRS than pirating Nintendo.

[Mari_Izu]

It wasn't a Ganon amiibo, it was a Ganondorf Statue that came with Wind Waker HD Limited Edition.

Amiibos weren't a thing in 2013.

[ThomasGameDocs]

hey, sorry for disappearing for a bit! I needed a bit of a breather, but I'm glad to be back on www dot youtube dot com

[communistpootisbirb]

So nobodys gonna ask how he managed to get enough money to pay ~$1 million USD?

[MINE_OK]

“He lived with his parents and was a real gaming fan”

True chad.

[fattiger]

The reason Nintendo goes so hard on individuals for things like this is to set examples and as a deterrent. They want these stories to get out to scare the hell out of people even thinking about pirating.

[KirboyIGuess]

"Nintendo was able to employ the use of sophisticated technological forensics to identify the individual responsible for illegally copying the file and making it available for further distribution"
Translation: "We took it down and found the guy lol"

[ninjanerdstudent]

Why didn’t he just record himself playing the game to prove he owned the game? Just share the video files. YouTube existed back then with 11 minute restrictions.

[Backstromer]

He could’ve just recorded footage of the game on a camera and uploaded it to youtube and provide a link to the forum. He could’ve looked cool and not get sued

[custardgannet]

Wow Nintendo trolling him with the Ganon figurine is insane, he's known as the King of thieves after all.

[veggiet]

I initially read the title "The man who sued Nintendo for $..." Needless to say I was expecting quite a different video

[Dhakadice]

In a just world, the retailer chain who sold him the copy ahead of release would be sued.

NOT James Burt himself, NOT the clerk who made the honest mistake of thinking something that's on the shelves is actually for sale, PERHAPS the store manager who decided to put an unreleased game on the shelves ahead of launch but definitely the company who hired said store manager.

If someone at a big company screws up major but accidentally,
the company gets sued, the employee might get fired (sometimes not)
and the expenses may even be covered by an insurance company.

[JustATempest]

Here in the US the easiest solution to get away from large fines that you couldn't realistically pay back is to file for bankruptcy.

[squatopia]

I remember when Super Paper Mario was coming out on the Wii, I found it at Gamestop three weeks before its release date. They noticed it was too early, but they let me buy it anyways because my Grandma was insistent and I was like 9yrs old. Good thing I was too young to post about it.

[lemymatair]

The morale of the story is don’t listen to people on the internet to do a thing that will get you trouble they will not help you in the good way at all.

[joshc]

The reason Nintendo goes so hard on individuals for things like this is to set examples and as a deterrent. but James could of never had to pay the fees. all he had to do, since this was civil court was to file for chapter 7. and the debt is wiped.