GitHub Disables 144 Switch Modchip Firmware Repositories

GitHub disabled 144 repositories tied to Nintendo Switch modchip firmware after processing a DMCA notice from Nintendo of America. The action covered the Ansem-SoD/Picofly parent repository and its fork network. Nintendo alleges that the firmware bypasses protections intended to prevent pirated games from running on the console. GitHub published the notice in its public archive on November 10, 2026.

The scale came from GitHub’s decision to process the fork network together. Under GitHub’s documented process, a network larger than 100 repositories can be disabled when the complainant has reviewed a representative sample of forks and states under oath that all or most infringe to the same extent as the parent. Nintendo supplied that statement, so the single notice covered both the parent and its broader network.

The Boot Process at the Center of the Notice

Nintendo identified the whole Ansem-SoD/Picofly repository as infringing rather than listing individual files, said the work carried no open-source license, and requested removal. It named SX Core, SX Lite, Picofly and HWFLY among the modchips whose firmware the reported repositories made available directly or through links.

At issue is the Switch’s startup process. Nintendo says its protection measures combine startup checks with cryptographic signatures to verify authorized software, block unlawful copying and stop pirated copies from running. The process uses Nintendo’s cryptographic keys to verify and decrypt the startup sequence before the console can be used.

Nintendo alleges that the firmware bypasses that startup sequence so the console can run illegal copies of Switch games, and characterizes its distribution as unlawful trafficking in circumvention technology under the DMCA’s anti-circumvention provisions. They are allegations in this request, not court findings about these repositories. GitHub’s publication of a notice establishes neither unlawful content nor wrongdoing by the repository owner.

The complaint names Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as examples of games protected by the measures. Those examples ground the legal claim in specific Switch titles, with the startup process serving as the alleged link between the firmware and unauthorized access to Nintendo’s software.

Publication and Counter-Notice Options

GitHub’s public commit record records the archive addition at 22:01 UTC on November 10. The document itself is dated November 6, 2026. GitHub’s archive documentation treats that as the receipt date, making it distinct from the later public posting.

GitHub contacted owners of some or all affected repositories before content was disabled, offering a chance to make changes and explaining how to file a DMCA counter-notice. The available paths are revision to remove the material at issue or a formal challenge to the takedown.

If an owner files a counter-notice, GitHub waits 10 to 14 days before restoring the content unless the copyright owner starts legal action. A formal challenge would therefore put the next decision with Nintendo: begin litigation within that window, or the content is restored under GitHub’s stated process.