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News Room Contributor  Posts: 3765 Joined: 12 Nov 2002 | |
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Paperboy Posts: 18 Joined: 19 Sep 2007 | From Wikipedia:
How else would you sort device inputs? |
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Paperboy Posts: 14 Joined: 24 Dec 2007 | Luckily other controlers work through telepathy, so they're not violating that patent. |
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Paperboy  Posts: 30 Joined: 14 Dec 2007 | Wait...Hand-held computer input apparatus and method? That includes mice too. And the N64 controller. And the Atari 2600 Joystick. And...well, any input device, really. This could be an incredibly profitable lawsuit if the prosecutor was willing to expand their scope a bit.
I guess Nintendo and Sony will have to recall all of their controllers and replace them with delicious, fresh-baked hams. |
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Muckraker  Posts: 329 Joined: 13 Jul 2006 | What about Microsoft? Of course, this is a frivolous lawsuit, but I'm curious as to why Microsoft is not being sued... anybody know? |
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Copy Clerk  Posts: 87 Joined: 10 Dec 2007 | I can't see this getting anywhere. I'm pretty sure both companies have been sued before about some patents somehow involving their controllers and nothing happened then. Copper innovations are just trying to get some money out of them. It also seems odd that this didn't occur earlier, considering the length of time both consoles have been on the market. |
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Press Junketeer  Posts: 483 Joined: 5 Jan 2008 |
360 fanboys? |
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Pulitzer Laureate  Posts: 785 Joined: 22 Aug 2006 | 3 possibilities, as I see it, as to why MS isn't included: 1. Microsoft is behind the whole thing. GET OUT YOUR TIN FOIL HAT! 2. Microsoft is similarly infringing, and we will see the lawsuit expanded to include them, or a similar one launched, shortly. 3. Microsoft's implementation doesn't depend on unique hardware IDs, but dynamic addressing akin to DHCP. Thus, they're exempt. And sure, DHCP/IP depends somewhat on MAC addresses, but only during the handshake, and the rest of the time they're just identifying source and destination with IP. |
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Beat Writer  Posts: 146 Joined: 25 Sep 2007 |
- That's a great idea! We'll surgically attach cables to 360 Fanboys and use *them* as controllers! :0 :D |
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Paperboy  Posts: 13 Joined: 31 Oct 2007 | Another controller lawsuit? Seriously, do people just go and patent things in hopes big name companies will pay out in the end? And why did it take 12 years before they said anything about it? Or for that matter, since the Wii and PS3 were released? Why are other wireless controllers exempt from the lawsuit? Why are other wireless devices exempt as well? |
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Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1179 Joined: 13 Sep 2007 | I believe it means controllers that use motion sensors. |
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Copy Clerk Posts: 87 Joined: 10 Dec 2007 |
Yes, thats exactly what they do. Except its normally big name companies randomly patenting something they havn't developed. Then a smaller company comes along, makes the product, has some success, is sued by the big company and ends up being bought out by them. |
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Beat Writer Posts: 190 Joined: 11 Jul 2006 |
It's also frequently companies that barely qualify as companies, groups consisting mainly of investors and lawyers. They apply for patents like this one and then wait for some monster corporation to stumble close enough to be able to accuse infringement. Then it's payday! It's a disgusting practice, and another symptom of how hopelessly fubar patent law is in this country. |
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Gone Gonzo Posts: 1179 Joined: 13 Sep 2007 |
This country? Seems pretty much the same everywhere. Also, there are a lot of people on the site from different countries and since no country is named in the article, I dont even know what "this country" is supposed to be. |
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Copy Clerk  Posts: 96 Joined: 13 Dec 2007 | someone wants money and is grasping at straws to get it |
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Paperboy Posts: 13 Joined: 31 Oct 2007 |
From what I'm reading it means wireless controllers, that the transmission to the system has in front of it a hardware ID that allows the system to know what's what. But the patent itself is pretty vague enough to encompass other wireless devices as well from what I can surmise, unless other wireless products handle their wireless transmissions in a totally different matter. Makes me wonder what Microsoft developed with their wireless products that makes them not mentioned here. |
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Anonymous Source  Posts: 3 Joined: 11 Jan 2008 |
id have to agree on the wireless thing but still there are wireless mice and have been other wireless controlers as well and if this law suit goes through nintendo is in big trouble the main selling point of the wii was its controler if they have to take back all those wii remotes my god its going to be a mess |
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Paperboy  Posts: 26 Joined: 29 Dec 2007 | Honestly what a load of bollocks, the electronics departments have been going for year because ppl have been defying patents and stealing eachothers ideas (look at the computer industry and games thenselves) |
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Beat Writer  Posts: 163 Joined: 12 Dec 2007 | Next they lawsuit Sony, Microsoft, etc, for making turn on/shut off buttons that light up when pressed. Oh the epileptic people being hazarded by the sudden flashing mini-light (With no offense to people with epileptic problems). |
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Paperboy Posts: 26 Joined: 29 Dec 2007 |
Lawl soon Intel/AMD will be sued by IBM/Lenovo for making CPUs then well be stuck with crappy lenovos |
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Paperboy Posts: 29 Joined: 15 Oct 2007 | totally FUBAR! Seriously, stupid little companys trying to make a buck, aint going to happen, im sure sony and Nintendo arnt daft enough to make this mistake. Another failiure in the American Ambulance chasing Law system. |
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Paperboy  Posts: 42 Joined: 20 Nov 2007 | international patent law for teh fail. Noticing that both companies being sued are Japanese companies, after all. |
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Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1002 Joined: 13 Jan 2007 |
This is because nukes aren't allowed anymore. |
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Infamous Scribbler  Posts: 523 Joined: 1 Jan 2008 |
He means America. Lawsuits are their national hobby. The more frivolous , the better. |
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Paperboy Posts: 13 Joined: 2 Jan 2008 |
Agreed, and as you say nothing will come of it. Why is everyone so sue-happy? |
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BANNED  Posts: 502 Joined: 3 Jan 2008 |
Yeah, there to afraid of them to sue Microsoft. User was banned for: Zero Punctuation: Mailbag Showdown. (Permanent) |
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Beat Writer Posts: 190 Joined: 11 Jul 2006 |
Emphasis mine. "This country" is both my country of residence, the location of The Escapist/Themis Group and the country in which Sony and Nintendo were sued by Copper Innovations Group. That's what "this country" is supposed to be. |
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Reviewer  Posts: 154 Joined: 4 Oct 2007 | Personally, I've long thought that things should go back to where in order to get a patent, you need to provide a working prototype to the patent office. I also tend to think that if you can't show reasonable efforts to develop and market the technology you've patented between the time of patent and the time of filing an infringement case, your patent should be revoked or transferred to the defendant company. After all, the patent system was envisioned so that ideas could be shared while allowing the developer a time of exclusive production and development to profit from the idea. How it's implementend though seems to be to reward those with pie-in-the-sky ideas and a good legal team. We need to make the patent system work for inventors again instead of dreamers. |
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Copy Clerk Posts: 61 Joined: 7 Jan 2008 | Wait, what? Now why would they sue Sony, seeing as the PS3 was widely regarded by all as a flop... |
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Paperboy Posts: 14 Joined: 24 Dec 2007 | Here's some thread necromacy: only because I can't stand when I hear about something like this and then never learn the outcome. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080515/ap_on_hi_te/nintendo_patent_dispute Sorry for not having a link to a cool gamer site, but oh well. Long story short for those of you who don't feel like following links... Microsoft settled (surprise!) and Nintendo -lost- to the tune of 21M$. Nothing about the aforementioned injunction though. I'd really hoped that most wii/gamecube controllers would be ripped off the market over this~ 'twould be madness. |
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Sony, Nintendo Sued Over Controllers
Sony and Nintendo have been sued by Copper Innovations Group, which claims the two companies are infringing upon its patent for a "Hand-Held Computer Input Apparatus and Method."
According to a GameSpot report, the patent in question revolves around "a method for connecting devices to a system and sorting their inputs by means of hardware identification numbers tied to each transmission." The suit claims Sony and Nintendo are violating the patent, filed in January 1996, by manufacturing and selling the Wii Remote, Wii Nunchuk, the PlayStation 3 Blu-ray Remote and Sixaxis controller.
The suit seeks damages with interest, as well as legal fees and an injunction against both companies preventing them from further infringing upon the patent.
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