Nintendo sued for Wii trigger design

[PkmnTrainerJ]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6162912.html?...mp;subj=6162912

While most in the game industry view the Wii's unconventionally shaped controller as something unique, there's one company that has a different view of the device.

Interlink Electronics, Inc., a California company that specializes in the design and manufacturing of interface devices, on Monday filed a complaint against Nintendo's US subsidiary, Nintendo of America, accusing it of patent infringement. Interlink's products include devices to assist in PowerPoint presentations, conference room keyboards, and portable speakers.

Interlink filed its complaint, first reported by Kotaku, in US District Court in Delaware.

The complaint alleges that the trigger on the bottom of the Wii controller infringes on Interlink Patent No. 6,850,221 (Trigger Operated Electronic Device), which the company secured on February 1, 2005. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata first presented the Wii controller to the public not too long after that date, during the 2005 Tokyo Game Show.

The drawings (above) that accompanied the patent application--first filed on September 17, 1997--do look suspiciously similar to the Wii trigger, but in the filing, Interlink offers scant detail of exactly how Nintendo currently infringes on the '221 patent, stating only that "Nintendo has made, used, offered for sale and sold in the United States, and continues to make, use, offer for sale and sell in the United States one or more controllers which activities infringe, induce others to infringe, and/or contributorily infringe the '221 patent."

The complaint seeks a jury trial and damages to determine the amount of "loss of reasonable royalties, reduced sales and/or lost profits as a result of the infringing activities."

This lawsuit brought by Interlink recalls the legal wrangling Microsoft and Sony found themselves in when Immersion Corp. brought lawsuits against those two console giants. Back in 2003, Immersion hauled those console makers into court, alleging patent infringement of Immersion's "haptic" technology, which allows gamers to feel controllers vibrate as they react to onscreen action. Microsoft eventually settled with Immersion, while Sony went to the mat, suffering defeat at the bench and paying Immersion Corp. more that $80 million in damages.

[Guest Anti-Hero]

I don't see how the fuck a remote control that will only work with a video game console is meant to affect the sales of a fucking presenter mouse. I wish people like this would just fuck off and die.

[Dan]

Someone hacked the wii-remote and it works with Pc's now apparently.

Awesome for roms.

[Colly]

Isn't it really just an extension on the N64 trigger in the end? This is ridiculous.

[Yitzy]

It seems like everytime a new system is released, there's always "Random Company A" trying to sue because they infringed on the design.

Didn't some small company try to sue Sony over the Dual Shock not too long ago?

[Guest Freckles]

Yeah, I believe they did, but this is still ridiculous.

[-A-]

Did you read the article? Yes they did, and they won.

Seems to me that this company probably has very good reason to file the lawsuit. They filed their patent application in 1997, clearly pre-dating the Wii. The reason they wouldn't complain when the remote was revealed was because they wouldn't have access to the product itself, or the designs. One trigger is not inherently the same as the other, and they would have to look at the mechanics of the product to see whether their patent was infringed.

Their loss of earnings would also be suffered from the fact that Nintendo would otherwise have had to license from this company.

[Farmer Reil]

Oh look, an American company is sueing someone. The last time I was this shocked was when the Pope revealed he was in fact Catholic.

[apsham]

Oh look, an American company is sueing someone. The last time I was this shocked was when the Pope revealed he was in fact Catholic.

As if lawsuits don't happen over there, give me a break.. you and every British poster.

Either way, if it infringes on a copyrighted system.. what do you expect is going to happen?

[-A-]

Something like 95% of civil cases in the US never make it to trial anyway, so this'll probably be settled.

[The Kraig]

Oh look, an American company is sueing someone. The last time I was this shocked was when the Pope revealed he was in fact Catholic.

As if lawsuits don't happen over there, give me a break.. you and every British poster.

Either way, if it infringes on a copyrighted system.. what do you expect is going to happen?

[apsham]

I know I'm not American, and well I know that everyone doesn't do it but most people at least once I've seen (regulars) have said something about "American lawsuits, lol" and it just factors into this mindset that for some reason because it isn't as big a problem (if at all a problem), their country is better. Either way, not a big deal... I don't exactly care but eh, it annoys me slightly.

[The Kraig]

I actually see a lot of Americans taking the piss as well. Because it's vaguely humourous.

Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcDuh4QiyLg