Nintendo pays $21 million for having hands in the patent cookie jar
By Triston McIntyre
Its a great Sunday for me when I catch wind of a double whammy like this one in which the big corporations can’t get away with stealing ideas from the little guys, and Nintendo has to pay anyone for anything. Apparently Nintendo’s original and revolutionary controller designs haven’t quite lived up to their originality, as Nintendo has been made to pay $21 million to a small company which filed patents for both the Wii and Gamecube.
The Associated Press reports that Nintendo has been ordered to pay out $21 million to Anascape Ltd., as resolution to the lawsuit filed back in 2006 for patent infringement. Those controller designs that were stolen were that of the Wii Classic, the Wavebird, and the Gamecube.
Microsoft was also sued for patent infringement for some controller designs, but Microsoft made what was probably a wise decision in settling out of court instead of letting the case be decided by a federal jury.
It is worth noting that Anascape isn’t what you’d call a huge entity in the industry; I’d love to hear what the company who has supposedly designed the popular controllers of this generation has done besides sue companies for stealing its ideas. However, fair is fair, and I think it is a victory every time a little company is able to win in court against a larger company which acts like it can walk over the little people without any consequence.
Nintendo spokesman Charlie Scibetta was pleased that Nintendo wasn’t sued for its motion-sensing controller, the infamous Wiimote. That would lead me to believe there was room for a lawsuit, but perhaps Anascape realized taking on Nintendo for its flagship controller would be more difficult than attacking the Wii Classic and Gamecube controllers.
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Tips N4G
May 18th, 2008
A very good reason there why it was probably a good thing for sony NOT to change it’s controller too much…. (even though they still got sued for something else)
When on a good thing…don’t change it ?? There is sooo many third party companies now making controllers and other assorted goodies that it it would be hard to design something with stepping someones toes ?
May 18th, 2008
You applaud a company that does nothing but buy up patents and sues? That’s not exactly what patent law was designed to protect. Methinks the author needs to do some reading up on how dangerous to the future of technological innovation such patent hoarding firms are. Shame on you Blorge.
May 19th, 2008
Spideydog:
May 18th, 2008
“A very good reason there why it was probably a good thing for sony NOT to change it’s controller too much…. (even though they still got sued for something else)”
Don’t worry Sony won’t get sued this time around and if they do nothing will happen they are now wiser richer and way more knowledgeable and more powerful; than everyone in the video game business.
Nintendo will get a new lawsuit soon i bet just a matter of time.