# Dutch court bans sale of Nintendo Switch piracy tools

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/nintendo-wins-court-case-ruling-the-sale-of-switch-circumvention-devices-unlawful/
- Published: 2026-09-11T16:44:36+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-11T23:03:26+00:00
- Original publisher: Nintendo Life
- Original article: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2026/09/nintendo-wins-court-case-ruling-the-sale-of-switch-circumvention-devices-unlawful
- Topics: Entertainment, Gaming

## Key points

- Dutch court rules selling Switch "circumvention devices" like MIG Switch is unlawful
- Ruling targeted a dropshipper selling cards imported from Asia
- Echoes a 2010 ruling against Nintendo DS "R4 card" sellers
- Follows a $2m US damages award against MIG Switch distributors in 2025

## Summary

Nintendo has won a court case in the Netherlands confirming that selling "circumvention devices" for the Switch, such as the MIG Switch Card, is unlawful. The Hague District Court ruled against an online seller "dropshipping" the devices from Asia via websites including r4switch.nl, ther4card.com and r4switch.co.uk, finding that offering and selling MIG Switch Cards and Dumpers infringed Nintendo's copyrights because the devices are primarily designed to bypass the console's security measures and enable piracy. The ruling follows the reasoning of the Court of Justice of the European Union and strengthens the legal basis for rights holders to combat piracy through technological protection measures; the defendant has been ordered to stop selling the products.

Nintendo drew a parallel with a landmark 2010 ruling by the same court against sellers of "R4 cards" for the Nintendo DS, which similarly found that enabling piracy made their sale illegal. The company said it brings such action on behalf of developers who rely on legitimate game sales, and noted it was awarded $2 million in damages against MIG Switch distributors in the US in September 2025, alongside a recent campaign to remove Switch emulator repositories from GitHub. Nintendo closed by urging players to avoid circumvention devices, software or pirated games, warning they risk interfering with the functioning of authentic Nintendo hardware and software.

## Coverage

- [Nintendo Life: Dutch court bans sale of Nintendo Switch piracy tools](https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2026/09/nintendo-wins-court-case-ruling-the-sale-of-switch-circumvention-devices-unlawful)
- [IGN: Nintendo Secures Legal Victory Against Sale of Switch Game Piracy Devices](https://www.ign.com/articles/nintendo-secures-legal-victory-against-sale-of-switch-game-piracy-devices)
- [GamesRadar+: Nintendo wins legal battle against Mig Switch cards in the Netherlands, says the decision will benefit "many video game developers globally"](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/nintendo-wins-legal-battle-against-mig-switch-cards-in-the-netherlands-says-the-decision-will-benefit-many-video-game-developers-globally/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.