Nintendo sues US government demanding refunds for tariffs

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As a Nintendo fan, I was surprised to hear that Nintendo of America is actually suing the U.S. government! Apparently, they’re trying to get back money they paid in tariffs – those extra fees on imports – that were put in place when Donald Trump was president. It’s pretty interesting to see them take this step, and I’m curious to see how it all plays out.

On March 6th, a lawsuit was filed with the U.S. Court of International Trade requesting the court force the government to return tariffs collected as a result of executive orders issued in 2025.

So, I was reading up on this whole Nintendo tariff thing, and apparently, Nintendo is fighting back! They’re saying these tariffs aren’t legal because they were put in place using a law – the IEEPA – that the Supreme Court already said you can’t use to add tariffs. Basically, they’re arguing the government didn’t have the right to charge these extra fees on their stuff.

Nintendo seeks refund of tariffs after Supreme Court ruling

Nintendo is suing, building on a Supreme Court ruling from February 20, 2026, in the case of Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump. That ruling confirmed previous court decisions that the president doesn’t have the power to impose tariffs using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

U.S. Court of International Trade Judge Richard Eaton stated that all companies importing goods were eligible to receive benefits from the Supreme Court’s ruling. He also announced he would be handling cases related to getting back duties paid under the IEEPA. Nintendo requested these refunds because the Supreme Court had deemed the tariffs illegal.

Nintendo states that the government has placed tariffs – taxes – on goods coming from many different countries, adding up to over $200 billion in costs for all businesses affected. Since Nintendo brings in its consoles and accessories from overseas, the company says it had to pay these taxes directly.

Nintendo confirmed to Aftermath that it filed the lawsuit but declined to comment further.

The lawsuit claims Nintendo has the right to sue because it officially imports the products and had to pay tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which caused them financial loss.

The company is asking the court to order a refund of the tariffs it paid, along with interest.

Nintendo is asking the court to rule that these tariffs are illegal, stop the government from collecting any more, and have previous import records reviewed so they can get a refund for what they’ve already paid.

Tariffs affected Nintendo Switch 2 launch plans

So, back in February 2025, the government started hitting imports with tariffs – basically extra costs on stuff coming from overseas. It all happened through a bunch of official orders, and it really affected things coming from places like China, Canada, and Mexico. It definitely made some of my gaming gear more expensive!

Later actions broadened tariffs to include many more countries and significantly increased taxes on goods from China, reaching as high as 125% before some changes were made.

Nintendo’s decision came as they were getting ready to release the Nintendo Switch 2. They paused preorders in the US to figure out how tariffs and higher prices on accessories would affect their finances, both before and after preorders opened.

This company is one of over 1,000 businesses and about 24 states suing for refunds on tariffs. They’re all arguing that these tariffs were applied using the same questionable legal justification.

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2026-03-06 23:51