Sony, Nintendo sued in console controller patent clash
Up to a point, Lord Copper
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A US company has filed a lawsuits against both Nintendo and Sony, alleging that the controllers that go with the companies’ games consoles trample over its intellectual property rights for console to controller connection.
The dispute was filed at the US District Court for Western Pennsylvania late December 2007 by Copper Innovations Group (CIG). Its patent for a “Hand Held Computer Input Apparatus and Method” was filed back in 1996 and, according to a Gamespot story, describes a way of connecting devices to a games system and for sorting their inputs by means of hardware identification numbers tied to each transmission.
CIG has implicated a host of controllers in the dispute, including the Wii’s Remote and Nunchuck, and the PS3's SixAxis controller. An additional Blu-ray remote control is also named in the lawsuit.
However, there's no mention of the Xbox 360 controller in the complaint. Is a fresh lawsuit coming, or has Microsoft licensed CIG's patent?
Not only is CIG seeking damages and legal fees, but it’s also seeking an injunction against both companies to stop them from infringing on the patent in the future. It wants a jury trial.
The SixAxis is no stranger to legal disputes. The controller has already been at the centre of a legal dispute with vibration firm Immersion over the inclusion of a rumble feature in the device.
COMMENTS
@Stuart
Stuart wrote:
"Well actually no, the "SixAxis" Controller was not at the center of this but instead the "DualShock" & "DualShock2" controllers, in fact the SixAxis controller does not even have a Vibration function, something that upset many a PlayStation fan-boy."
Actually, it upset the fan-girls more than the fan-boys *winks* ;P
I'll patent the "Off" switch
I'm guessing that the tin-pot company sitting on this patent until it could get enough cash never registered a worldwide one.
That would explain why they ain't suing microsoft (unless they are just scared of MS's limitless banks of lawyers).
But as the controllers were designed and built outside the US Sony just should tell them to go screw themselves, and if the moronic court system does not find in Sonys favour they should stop exporting to the US. That'd cause such economic turmoil that the Gov would step in and maybe finally fix their imbecilic patent system.
I.E: you can only patent something that ACTUALLY EXISTS!
Oh really?
Bluetooth was \ is licience to Ericsson who sued Sony back in 2002(ish) regarding the use of this in Sony-Ericsson phones!!! Strange but true...
As for...
"The SixAxis is no stranger to legal disputes. The controller has already been at the centre of a legal dispute with vibration firm Immersion over the inclusion of a rumble feature in the device."
Well actually no, the "SixAxis" Controller was not at the center of this but instead the "DualShock" & "DualShock2" controllers, in fact the SixAxis controller does not even have a Vibration function, something that upset many a PlayStation fan-boy.
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