Nintendo seeks refund for US tariffs as legal battle grows

Nintendo filed a lawsuit seeking refunds for US tariffs paid under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

The suit follows a Supreme Court ruling that struck down these tariffs on the grounds the president exceeded his authority. More than 1,000 other companies have already sued for refunds.

According to Nintendo’s complaint, over US$200 billion has been collected in such duties.

President Donald Trump raised the affected tariffs from 10% to 15% after the ruling, and 24 states have sued to argue that the change exceeded presidential authority.

🔗 Source: TechCrunch

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The legal limbo forcing over 1,000 companies to sue the government

The Supreme Court’s February ruling struck down the tariffs, yet it did not spell out how collected duties should be repaid, leaving the path forward unclear 1.
After the decision, the administration said it would not repay money on its own, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the process a “logistical nightmare” that could take years to sort out in court 2.
The U.S. Court of International Trade then ordered U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to liquidate and reliquidate certain entries without applying International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) duties, which steers repayments for non-final entries, yet firms such as Nintendo have still filed separate suits for quick repayment with interest on any IEEPA duties they paid 3 4.

Tariff refunds may not reach the consumers who paid for them

Pricing pressure hit product plans, with Nintendo delaying U.S. pre-orders for the Switch 2, then raising the price of some accessories later 5.
FedEx has said it plans to pass money back to shippers and consumers, but payments usually go to the “importer of record” (the company legally responsible for an import shipment), so customers who faced higher prices get no automatic payback 1 2.
Public doubt has grown, and it may trigger follow-on claims, since customers and business partners who absorbed the tariff costs could pursue a portion of recovered funds from importers 6.