Nintendo has filed a lawsuit seeking refunds “with interest” of payments made under U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs that were recently invalidated by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The video game company on Friday joined thousands of American importers who have filed requests in the U.S. Court of International Trade for repayment of the steep tariffs Trump imposed on nearly every country on earth under emergency powers.
Nintendo’s lawsuit does not say how much it has paid in tariffs since they were first enacted a year ago. It asks the court to order refunds to be paid out “promptly,” as well as award payment of legal costs and any other “further relief as may be just and proper.”
Nintendo said it has been “substantially harmed by the unlawful execution and imposition of the unauthorized Executive Orders and corresponding payment” of Trump’s tariffs.
Global News has asked Nintendo of America for details on how much the company believes it is owed.
A spokesperson earlier Friday confirmed the lawsuit had been filed and declined further comment.
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Nintendo last year indicated that the tariffs were behind the company’s decision to pause pre-orders of its new Switch 2 gaming console in the U.S. and Canada.
The company, which builds its consoles in Vietnam and other Asian countries, said it needed to “assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions.”
Experts at the time said other consumer electronics manufacturers would face similar cost pressures due to Trump’s tariffs.
Nintendo’s lawsuit said it imported goods from “various countries” subjected to the tariffs, but does not specify which ones.
The lawsuit names U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Kristi Noem — who was recently dismissed by Trump as U.S. secretary of Homeland Security — as defendants, along with their departments.
According to Nintendo, the tariffs resulted in the collection of more than US$200 billion in additional import fees before they were struck down last month.
In a filing with the international trade court earlier Friday, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official put the number at US$166 billion as of March 4, which has been paid by over 330,000 importers.
Brandon Lord, executive director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s trade policy and programs directorate, said the CBP is working on a new refund system that should be ready in 45 days.
The filing came after a judge on the court, Richard Eaton, ordered the government to start paying back all importers the illegal tariffs they paid, with interest.
Eaton said the court will arbitrate the refund process and will have to approve of the CBP’s proposed system.
—With files from Global’s Adriana Fallico and Uday Rana, and the Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
