Nintendo hit for $21 million in patent infringement case

by Stevie Smith - May 16 2008, 12:01

Japanese technology titan Nintendo has recently been basking in the glow of success afforded it by a rush of creative videogame innovation; a rush that has led to undisputed market dominance via the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS consoles, and also a marked rejuvenation in its business standing.

Nintendo looking at $21 million penalty for controller patent infringement. Image: Nintendo.

However, Nintendo’s proudly puffed corporate chest is likely a little deflated this week after a federal jury in Texas ordered the company to pay out $21 million USD for infringing on an existing technology patent during the creation of its Wii and GameCube hardware systems.The monetary award has been issued to Anascape Ltd. of Tyler, Texas, which first called Nintendo to heel for the infringement back in 2006. According to Anascape, Nintendo’s wrongful actions fell across a 2005 tech patent related to the development of videogame controllers. In its defence, Kyoto-based Nintendo challenged the validity of Anascape’s patent and instated that it had never infringed upon the company’s technology.While the jury agreed with Nintendo that its new motion-sensing Wii control system did not violate the patent, it ruled that the gaming company’s Wii Classic controller, WaveBird controller, and standard GameCube controller did.In offering his reaction to the largely positive verdict, Anascape lawyer Doug Cawley said that the jury’s decision “confirms that the company’s technology is second to none.”Nintendo has said it will appeal the ruling and expects the $21 million award to be reduced “significantly” due to apparent inaccuracies in its calculation.Nintendo is not the only major videogame player to be targeted by Anascape Ltd., with software behemoth Microsoft Corp. also accused of violating its technology patent. Unlike Nintendo, Microsoft opted for a confidential settlement with Anascape, an agreement that was decided on May 01, according to court records.

Talkback

Add your comment (no registration required)

page: 1

Frank ForumMay 16th, 2008 - 14:02:39

I hate to bust Anascape's bubble they do not have a technology. They have a patent. They filed a patent and got it. But they do very little else to contribute to technology. This is a great example of why many patents are bad.

Report this comment

page: 1

Add your comment (no registration required)

Entertainment: Index

: News

Advertising

The Fine Print

© 2008 - 2009 The Tech Herald.com, WOTR Limited. All photos are copyright their respective owners and are used under license or with permission. The Tech Herald cannot be held responsible for the content on other Web Sites.

Servers supplied by Servint

Entertainment

Nintendo hit for $21 million in patent infringement case

Talkback

Latest

Latest Articles on Monsters&Critics

In The Tech Herald

Site

The Fine Print