Nintendo takes Trump to court demanding full refund of illegal tariff money
Yet another company is suing President Donald Trump over his illegal tariff scheme — this time, video gaming giant Nintendo.
According to Kotaku, "In the lawsuit that was filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade on Friday, Nintendo lawyers argue that since February 1, 2025, President Trump has collected money from companies shipping products into the United States via 'unlawful' executive orders 'imposing tariffs on imports from a long list of countries around the world.'"
In the complaint, first obtained by Aftermath, Nintendo seeks a full refund of all the money collected from the tariff scheme — including interest.
Last month, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision that Trump's entire basis for imposing the tariffs without an act of Congress — the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) — did not grant him taxing powers, and the tariffs were therefore null and void. The Trump administration has vowed to rework the tariffs using other statutes to continue imposing them.
Even before the justices handed down that decision, other companies have filed similar complaints to Nintendo, one of the most notable being bulk goods club retailer Costco in December.
Nintendo owns some of the most valuable and well-known video game franchises in the world, including Mario, the Legend of Zelda, and Pokémon, as well as a long line of gaming hardware including the Switch and Switch 2. The company is headquartered in Japan, although the lawsuit was brought by its U.S. subsidiary, Nintendo of America.
Trump has been dismissive of the idea that his tariffs are costing businesses money, famously saying last year that toy companies should just set up doll factories in the United States if it's such a threat to their business model.
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