
Nintendo is a cash-rich company with plenty of unique ideas, so it should come as no surprise to learn that companies looking to make a fast buck in patent disputes target the Japanese veteran on a regular basis.
However, Nintendo's deep pockets mean that it's quite prepared to fight such claims, and last week a federal appeals court brought to an end another legal tussle in Nintendo's favour.
Way back in 2011, RecogniCorp, LLC claimed that Nintendo's Mii avatar system used the same techniques described in its patent for producing police suspect sketches.
Nintendo won that suit back in 2015, but now the federal appeals court has ruled that that RecogniCorp, LLC's right to assert the patent should never have been granted in the first place.
Ajay Singh, Nintendo of America's Director of Litigation and Compliance, had to say about the decision:
We are very pleased with the court's decision. The decision marks another case in which Nintendo's unique ideas overcame unjustified threats of patent infringement. Nintendo has a long history of developing innovative products and we will continue to vigorously defend all our products from meritless patent lawsuits.
Comments 19
I always love reading about these. It's interesting to think about the legal side of Nintendo.
Any company trying patent trolling like this should be forcefully liquidated without remorse. It's even worse when this stuff happens to companies that aren't giants like Nintendo.
Tsk, tsk, tsk...
Hope they charge the heck out of these ***** for court costs!
must be great scetch system if end results look like mii's
Is there an example where Nintendo actually lost one of these cases?
....A. S. says the same thing after every victory in court. I wonder if he dresses like Phoenix Wright? I'd also like to hear his 'game over' quote.
Lel what?
I had the police come round to my house to arrest me shortly after a Bank robbery done by some crooks who looked a bit similar to my Mii - which at the time was being used by my Facebook Profile.
True Story
Miis are pretty much over now anyway
@Nik-Davies I know a couple years ago they lost a case regarding the motion control technology used in the Wii and Wii U but I don't remember all the details.
I made an account to say,
JAAAAAaaaAaAaaAAaAAaaAaAaAaAMMMMmmmmmmmm~
It's a bummer that I haven't lit on a quality US operating Nintendo blog, but dank Chris Morris jokes are just as good.
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
@Psythe
Big Train
I thought I was lookin' at some of that Chris Morris (de)saturation.
Still, Big Train had its transgressive moments, so maybe now it's time to review to it after about a decade.
The whole thing seemed silly anyway. Why in the heck would the system used for a mii be useful in a police sketch? Who are you looking for muppets? Also if we are just talking the ability to quickly generate a human looking face then are they suing EA/Maxis? Because they have been doing that in the sims since forever.
This just in: recognicorp sues Leonardo da Vinci cause they have a patent on how to draw a smile.
Jokes aside its good that Nintendo won this but it took so long for it to finally end.
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