Platform: Nintendo Switch
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In 2020, hackers Gary Bowser and Max "MAXiMiLiEN" Louarn were arrested and extradited to the United States for money laundering and selling products meant to crack the Nintendo Switch's copy protection to run pirated copies of games. The two were members of Team Xecuter, a hacking group which specialized in similar measures for a large number of Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft consoles.
In 2021, Bowser pled guilty on conspiracy and trafficking charges and was sentenced to 40 months in prison; Nintendo later filed a separate civil suit against him, which together with the prison sentence left him $14.5 million in debt. While Bowser was granted an early release (due to his age, health, and Canadian nationality), the terms of the verdict resulted in him indefinitely paying Nintendo 20-30% of his gross income each month. Nintendo's legal department claimed during the court case that the unusually severe punishments were intended to send a chilling effect through the piracy world, intimidating would-be hackers by using Bowser's punishment as an example.
Following the case, multiple news outlets noted the irony of Gary Bowser's last name, which is shared with Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser and Mario series antagonist Bowser.
In 2021, Bowser pled guilty on conspiracy and trafficking charges and was sentenced to 40 months in prison; Nintendo later filed a separate civil suit against him, which together with the prison sentence left him $14.5 million in debt. While Bowser was granted an early release (due to his age, health, and Canadian nationality), the terms of the verdict resulted in him indefinitely paying Nintendo 20-30% of his gross income each month. Nintendo's legal department claimed during the court case that the unusually severe punishments were intended to send a chilling effect through the piracy world, intimidating would-be hackers by using Bowser's punishment as an example.
Following the case, multiple news outlets noted the irony of Gary Bowser's last name, which is shared with Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser and Mario series antagonist Bowser.
The Guardian article:
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2024/feb/01/the-man-who-owes-nintendo-14m-gary-bowser-and-gamings-most-infamous-piracy-case?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
[Additional sources and revision contributed by VinchVolt.]
United States Department of Justice article about the arrest: https://web.archive.org/web/20220502090355/https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/two-members-notorious-videogame-piracy-group-team-xecuter-custody
Video Games Chronicle article about Nintendo's intentions: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nintendo-said-hacker-gary-bowsers-jail-sentence-was-a-unique-opportunity-to-send-a-message/
The Verge article about Bowser's sentence: https://web.archive.org/web/20220211013315/https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/10/22927827/gary-bowser-sentenced-nintendo-switch-hacks-team-xecuter
Polygon article about Bowser's sentence: https://web.archive.org/web/20220210205338/https://www.polygon.com/22927851/bowser-nintendo-switch-hacker-sentenced-prison
Unilad article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20250725101735/https://www.unilad.com/news/world-news/hacker-nintendo-gary-bowser-prison-829413-20250113
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2024/feb/01/the-man-who-owes-nintendo-14m-gary-bowser-and-gamings-most-infamous-piracy-case?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
[Additional sources and revision contributed by VinchVolt.]
United States Department of Justice article about the arrest: https://web.archive.org/web/20220502090355/https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/two-members-notorious-videogame-piracy-group-team-xecuter-custody
Video Games Chronicle article about Nintendo's intentions: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nintendo-said-hacker-gary-bowsers-jail-sentence-was-a-unique-opportunity-to-send-a-message/
The Verge article about Bowser's sentence: https://web.archive.org/web/20220211013315/https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/10/22927827/gary-bowser-sentenced-nintendo-switch-hacks-team-xecuter
Polygon article about Bowser's sentence: https://web.archive.org/web/20220210205338/https://www.polygon.com/22927851/bowser-nintendo-switch-hacker-sentenced-prison
Unilad article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20250725101735/https://www.unilad.com/news/world-news/hacker-nintendo-gary-bowser-prison-829413-20250113
Comments (9)
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Reply to comment by Shockwave posted Feb 2, 2024 3:17 AM
Going off of Wikipedia, that would depend on whether or not the debt would count as "grossly disproportional to the gravity of the defendant’s offense" (see United States v. Bajakajian, the first and currently only time a fine was declared unconstitutional under the Eighth Amendment).
good to put away a couple of pirates but at the same time, did Nintendo break the 8th amendment with the large amount of debt?
Thanks a lot. The more, the merrier.
All good, had a tab still open and was able to recover it.
I think we edited this at the same time and I overwrote your changes - sorry about that! Looks like you were able to get it back though.
This has all been added to the submission, thank you.
Might be worth rewording this for the sake of improving the flow of it. Something like this:
"In 2020, hackers Gary Bowser and Max "MAXiMiLiEN" Louarn were arrested and extradited to the United States for money laundering and selling products meant to crack the Nintendo Switch's copy protection to run pirated copies of games. The two were members of Team Xecuter, a hacking group which specialized in similar measures for a large number of Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft consoles. In 2021, Bowser pled guilty on conspiracy and trafficking charges and was sentenced to 40 months in prison; Nintendo later filed a separate civil suit against him, which together with the prison sentence left him $14.5 million in debt. The company's legal department claimed during the court case that the unusually severe punishments were intended to send a chilling effect through the piracy world, intimidating would-be hackers by using Bowser's punishment as an example.
Following the case, multiple news outlets noted the irony of Gary Bowser's last name, which is shared with Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser and Mario series antagonist Bowser."
Some other sources to add onto this are as follows:
United States Department of Justice article about the arrest: https://web.archive.org/web/20220502090355/https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/two-members-notorious-videogame-piracy-group-team-xecuter-custody
Video Games Chronicle article about Nintendo's intentions: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nintendo-said-hacker-gary-bowsers-jail-sentence-was-a-unique-opportunity-to-send-a-message/
The Verge article about Bowser's sentence: https://web.archive.org/web/20220211013315/https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/10/22927827/gary-bowser-sentenced-nintendo-switch-hacks-team-xecuter
Polygon article about Bowser's sentence: https://web.archive.org/web/20220210205338/https://www.polygon.com/22927851/bowser-nintendo-switch-hacker-sentenced-prison
"In 2020, hackers Gary Bowser and Max "MAXiMiLiEN" Louarn were arrested and extradited to the United States for money laundering and selling products meant to crack the Nintendo Switch's copy protection to run pirated copies of games. The two were members of Team Xecuter, a hacking group which specialized in similar measures for a large number of Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft consoles. In 2021, Bowser pled guilty on conspiracy and trafficking charges and was sentenced to 40 months in prison; Nintendo later filed a separate civil suit against him, which together with the prison sentence left him $14.5 million in debt. The company's legal department claimed during the court case that the unusually severe punishments were intended to send a chilling effect through the piracy world, intimidating would-be hackers by using Bowser's punishment as an example.
Following the case, multiple news outlets noted the irony of Gary Bowser's last name, which is shared with Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser and Mario series antagonist Bowser."
Some other sources to add onto this are as follows:
United States Department of Justice article about the arrest: https://web.archive.org/web/20220502090355/https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/two-members-notorious-videogame-piracy-group-team-xecuter-custody
Video Games Chronicle article about Nintendo's intentions: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nintendo-said-hacker-gary-bowsers-jail-sentence-was-a-unique-opportunity-to-send-a-message/
The Verge article about Bowser's sentence: https://web.archive.org/web/20220211013315/https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/10/22927827/gary-bowser-sentenced-nintendo-switch-hacks-team-xecuter
Polygon article about Bowser's sentence: https://web.archive.org/web/20220210205338/https://www.polygon.com/22927851/bowser-nintendo-switch-hacker-sentenced-prison
Sorry, I don't know much about this than you do. I'm just merely submitting any new info I find that would attract more new viewers, hopefully.
Didn't Bowser actually put malware in his pirated games or something? I'm sure I remember reading there was something bigger at play than just piracy.