News Article

Nintendo Wins Judgement in Wii Patent Lawsuit

Posted by Thomas Whitehead

Talking 'bout a revolution

Nintendo has confirmed that it's seen off yet another patent lawsuit in the U.S., with this one perhaps being the most significant victory so far. A company called Copper Innovations Group, LLC had claimed that both Wii and its controllers had infringed one of its patents, but a U.S. District Court judge dismissed the case without the need for a jury trial.

Nintendo has faced and dismissed its share of patent lawsuits over the years, with one example being a claim against Wii Fit and its software. Some companies that register vague patents and pursue products that resemble that submission, sometimes years later, are often referred to as 'patent trolls'. While it can be tempting to pay these claims off, Nintendo has a policy of contesting these lawsuits when it feels in the right. You can read the official announcement from Nintendo below.

A U.S. District Court judge has summarily dismissed a patent-infringement lawsuit against Nintendo brought by Copper Innovations Group, LLC. Copper had alleged that the Wii console and its controllers infringed on one of its patents (U.S. Patent No. 5,640,152). Judge David Cercone of the U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh granted summary judgment in Nintendo's favor and ruled that there was no need for a jury trial.

"We are very pleased with the court's decision," said Richard Medway, Nintendo of America's deputy general counsel. "Nintendo has a long history of developing innovative products while respecting the intellectual property rights of others. We also vigorously defend patent lawsuits when we firmly believe that we have not infringed another party's patent, despite the risks that this policy entails. I would like to express our sincere appreciation for the tireless efforts of our legal team."

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User Comments (16)

EvansLegends

#3

EvansLegends said:

Really? More patent trolls?

sigh, I'm sick of all these unnecessary lawsuits that are clearly meant to make a quick buck. I hope Microsoft trounces Motorola, and Apple isn't planning anything with that 'patented' controller which is CLEARLY an innovation stolen from Sony...

darkgamer001

#5

darkgamer001 said:

Maybe this will stop small time companies suing Nintendo. It's pointless. Stop trying to make a quick buck and work on getting money through legitimate means.

citizenerased

#7

citizenerased said:

You got served.

Hate these companies that do nothing but patent things and sue people. The same kind of people are currently suing Mojang and a bunch of other publishers/developers. Die.

EvansLegends

#8

EvansLegends said:

@gamermii
Apparently so; the same type of thing is going on with Motorola trying to sue Microsoft. These bogus lawsuits are just obvious ploys for money.

gundam00

#10

gundam00 said:

I read thru the patent. I can see how he felt Nintendo was infriging. You can't blame him for trying. Didn't Nintendo pay $100,000 to a patent troll regarding the DS, which was totally unwarranted imo.

TrueWiiMaster

#11

TrueWiiMaster said:

@EvansLegends
There's actually more to that than just Motorola trying to get some money. Microsoft recently sued Motorola over something, and Motorola's basically retaliating. Microsoft should really try to avoid suing companies whose technology it's software is based around. I'm actually rooting for Motorola in that one.

Strongo9

#12

Strongo9 said:

Lol. Every patent troll that takes a crack at Nintendo gets shot down by their excellent lawyers in court. I'm glad that Nintendo doesn't pay them off.

hydeks

#16

hydeks said:

I'm so sick of people trying to sue Nintendo and get money off them for patents and crap, especially companies NO ONE has even heard of -_-.

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