Nintendo of America has joined a growing group of companies and U.S. states suing the federal government over tariffs previously imposed under former President Donald Trump, arguing the measures were unlawful and caused financial harm to its business.
The lawsuit, first reported by Aftermath, seeks refunds for tariffs collected under a trade policy that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled could not be implemented through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977. The case is part of a broader wave of legal challenges involving more than 1,000 companies and roughly two dozen states.
According to the complaint, the tariffs affected imports from a wide range of countries and generated significant government revenue. “This action concerns Defendants’ initiation and administration of unlawful trade measures that have, to date, resulted in the collection of more than $200 billion in tariffs on imports from nearly all countries,” Nintendo’s lawyers said in the filing.
The lawsuit names several U.S. government agencies and officials, including the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and former Secretary Kristi Noem, the Office of the United States Trade Representative led by Jamieson Greer, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott and the U.S. Department of Commerce headed by Secretary Howard Lutnick.
The cases are being heard by the U.S. Court of International Trade. According to CNBC, Customs and Border Protection told the court it had collected about $166 billion in tariffs as of midweek. Judge Richard Eaton later ruled that the companies challenging the tariffs were entitled to refunds.
However, Customs and Border Protection said in a filing that it could not immediately process the refunds. The Wall Street Journal reported that the agency may require roughly six weeks to establish a system to implement the court’s decision.
Nintendo’s filing states that the tariffs affected its import costs because many of its products are manufactured overseas. The company said the timing of the tariff policy coincided with preparations for the launch of the Switch 2 console, increasing costs and delaying pre-orders for the device.
As a result, Nintendo is seeking a full refund of the tariffs it paid, along with interest. “[Nintendo of America] has standing to sue because it is the importer of record for goods that were subject to IEEPA Duties,” the company’s lawyers said.