A previously sentenced Nintendo Switch hacker now owes the company $14.5 million in damages, a sum which he’ll likely be paying through his wages for the rest of his life.
Gary Bowser was a member of a hacking group that was convicted for the creation and sale of devices that allowed users to illegally play pirated versions of copyrighted games (also known as ROMs) on various Nintendo systems, most notably the Nintendo Switch and 3DS.
Bowser faced a sentence of 40 months in prison, a sentence that was viewed as a “unique opportunity” by Nintendo to send a message about their response to illegal activity. Since then, Bowser’s sentence has been cut short, as he was recently released and now awaits processing before re-entering society with an enormous debt.
It’s reported that the most Nintendo can take from Bowser’s monthly wages will be 25-30%, a hefty portion of his earnings which he’ll be forced to pay for an incredibly long time.
It’s estimated that Bowser would have to earn a total of $40 million, before taxes, to be able to pay off Nintendo.
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So far, Bowser has paid a total of $175 towards the damages, which he’d owned through small jobs he worked during his prison sentence. He stated in an interview following his release: “I have up until, like, six months before I have to start making payments.”
Nintendo has always been incredibly protective of its intellectual property, often lashing out ferociously at those that would try to circumvent their rules and pirate their games. Piracy, in particular, has always been something Nintendo strongly opposed, frequently shutting down sites or groups illegally sharing their content.
They say that crime never pays, but in this instance, the crime has led to a very severe pay-out and a vital warning to those who think they can avoid the watchful eye of Nintendo and its anti-piracy measures…
Topics: Real Life, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch