Nintendo Loses $21 Million Patent-Infringement Lawsuit
Date : 15 May 2008 Category : Technology
NewsFactor NetworkA Nintendo spokesman said the company will appeal the decision and expects the award to be "significantly" reduced, the Associated Press reported.
Anascape also sued over the motion-sensing technology that has made the Wii such a hit, enabling "active games" such as tennis and boxing, but the jury found no infringement on that technology.
The company also sued Microsoft for infringements on game-controller patents, but Redmond settled on May 1, just before trial. The terms of the settlement are confidential.
Twelve Patents Violated
The jury found that Nintendo violated 12 Anascape patents filed in 2000. The patents had names like "Remote Controller with Analog Button," "3D Controller With Vibration," and "Game Controller with Analog Pressure Sensor."
Many game fans were outraged by the verdict. On GamesAreFun.com, Brandon Carlson wrote, "Patent-infringement lawsuits are commonplace in the gaming industry. When one company makes it big and hits the jackpot, there's plenty of people lined up to take a stab at making some quick settlement cash."
Patent Troll?
Engadget writer Thomas Ricker called Anascape a "patent troll" -- a company that buys up intellectual property for the sole purpose of extracting licensing fees or suing big companies. Indeed, the company does not have a Web site at Anascape.com, and a Google search of the company's name turned up only references to its suits against Nintendo and Microsoft.
Alexander Sliwinksi at the Joystiq blog chimed in: "Remember, kids, if you want to stick it to some big corporation in the future and cash in, just make patents for everything imaginable."
Sky-high jury verdicts...