News Room Contributor  Posts: 8058 Joined: 12 Nov 2002     | |
Pulitzer Laureate  Posts: 934 Joined: 22 Jul 2008     | I would advise those companies trying to sue Nintendo to pick another target without an army of very expensive lawyers, they would have a much higer chance of making money. |
Muckraker  Posts: 253 Joined: 4 Jun 2008     | Why would they wait until NOW to file suit if it were a real claim? |
Copy Clerk  Posts: 59 Joined: 14 May 2008     | Can Anyone Fight with Nintendo?!? Its stupid to sue them... its like sueing an Homeless on the street In the end you win nothing, you lose cash and you might get mugged! |
Pulitzer Laureate  Posts: 780 Joined: 7 Jun 2008    | No no, I think we should all get a piece of the pie. I, for instance, invented the "B" button. Before me, people only ever used the A button and the directional. "Option B" (as I called it then) represented a great step forward. Unfortunately, Nintendo and others would later abuse the concept beyond all recognition with the "Z" and, for Microsoft, the "X" and "Y" buttons. Except in the case of Playstation, where they skirted around my patent by turning it into the square. Keep your eyes peeled for my upcoming suit. Seriously though, once the patent people have exhausted all options and/or picked Nintendo clean, can the end-user start suing? |
Copy Clerk  Posts: 68 Joined: 20 Jun 2008     | mabey it will keep nintendo sticking to normal games.. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1811 Joined: 8 Apr 2008    | See? This is what happens when you try to make video games mainstream, Nintendo... people take notice, for better or worse. In my opinion, you can't patent an *idea* except in very rare exceptions. And yes, though they used the idea to help develop products for other companies, it is still just an idea. EDIT: And be reasonable, Hillcrest... they might let you get away with a cash settlement, sure... but Nintendo stopping the importing of Wii;s and Wiimotes? It was nice knowing ya, 'cause they are going to eat you alive before that happens. |
On the Record  Posts: 5967 Joined: 7 Feb 2008   | I dunno, maybe they actually cracked open a Wii mote and looked at how it worked and went |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1783 Joined: 29 Dec 2007    | I wonder if they would settle for being bought out by Nintendo. That way, they get some of the profit for "their" invention and Nintendo gets the patent it's currently using in its new system. Win-win. |
Beat Writer  Posts: 206 Joined: 11 Apr 2008     |
Maybe not. The back royalties and penalties on the millions of Wii consoles (As of last count 29.62 Million units sold world wide, 13.1 million in the US), and Wii Play units (11.51 million copies as of March 08) could be so good that the company would be better off not selling out to Nintendo. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 3923 Joined: 15 Aug 2008    | Why would you sue a giant megacorporation with a small army of lawyers and billions to pour into sueing your ass back?? When will the idoits learn.... |
Copy Clerk Posts: 125 Joined: 21 Jan 2008    | I make no comment on whether this company deserves money for their patent or not, but I find the people saying "why do they both suing such a big company, they have money and lawyers and stuff" a tad worrying. Surely the whole point of a legal system is that they guy with the most money DOESN'T get to automatically win everything. The little guy is supposed to be able to stand up and get a fair hearing... If their claims are baseless, then they'll be ruled against. But don't tell them to sit down and shut up just because they're up against a big corporation. |
Copy Clerk  Posts: 76 Joined: 10 Apr 2008   | They're just sore that someone else is making money from something LIKE theirs. Everyone wants a piece of the pie, as HobbesMkii so eloquently put it. |
Muckraker  Posts: 297 Joined: 6 May 2008  |
I agree with the idea of giving them a fair trial, however Hillcrest are suing Nintendo for infringing on their patent of: "A three dimensional pointing device" I mean come on, if they actually have this patent they can demand royalties from cane makers to pen manufacturers. |
Infamous Scribbler  Posts: 571 Joined: 22 Apr 2008 | Well at least this time the company that sues actually does something with their patent. Took them a bit long to get to this point though. |
Copy Clerk Posts: 76 Joined: 10 Apr 2008 |
I lol'd. Nice one |
Copy Clerk Posts: 109 Joined: 14 Nov 2007    | They have a lot of respect for THE Nintendo and the Wii? Obviously they don't have much respect for their grammar. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 3664 Joined: 21 Jan 2008   |
Because Nintendo is reaping in the cash... seriouly, they print money everytime they male a new Wii. As for the actual lawsuit, I'll have to agree with some of the others here: sue a company that you actually have a chance of winning against. As is, you're onna get your arse handed to you on a silver platter. |
On the Record  Posts: 6209 Joined: 10 Mar 2008    |
Aww, look Mr. Wii! Ms. Playstation is here to see you. Awwww, they're so adorable together! Jokes aside, if I'm not mistaken hasn't Sony lost to some lawsuits like this? I'm pretty sure that Nintedno lost one or two also the Gamecube controllers and stuff. They have a chance at winning, however small, as "man-man" said before me. Just because Nintendo can afford all these fancy lawyers doesn't mean they want to pay for them ;P |
Beat Writer  Posts: 166 Joined: 20 Aug 2008   | Nintendo will brush these guys off no problem..altho they are the strongest case as of yet. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1082 Joined: 25 May 2008  | I think the guy who invented guns should get royalties for the trigger button. ..or his nearest relatives. |
Infamous Scribbler  Posts: 594 Joined: 26 May 2008   | The Wii is a multi-million dollar asset. Anyone who even sells a white, rectangular cardboard box would sue Nintendo if they had the chance. What can I say that's interesting and funny here? I don't know, I haven't had my coffee yet. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1085 Joined: 25 Feb 2008   | Unlike other companies who troll patents for stupid things, these guys actualy put out a wiimote without the nintendo logo on it a few years before nintendo. And from the sound of it it could do some things the wiimote cant. Like function in a 3d for example. Or point at things instead of only registering motion direction. However, this means the lawsuit is void, as nintendo didn't immitate these guys, but just made a huge d-pad that looks like the original product. |
Press Junketeer  Posts: 490 Joined: 23 Nov 2007  | I was ready to call troll, unless logitech or universal actually named chips, or an sdk, that they actually licensed, but her's their product page: http://www.hillcrestlabs.com/products/index.php I guess there's no troll under this bridge. |
Copy Clerk Posts: 86 Joined: 3 Jun 2009 |
I doubt Nintendo would actually buy out someone. They don't use DVD's because they don't want to pay for it. They rather make a new platform that is a trademark of Nintendo. |
Pulitzer Laureate  Posts: 854 Joined: 15 Dec 2008 | The most hilarious thing in the world about this, was that I was constantly claiming that the Wiimote was neither new nor innovative when it came out. Situations like these make me feel vindicated. |
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Nintendo Gets Sued, Again
Once again it's that special time of the week when Nintendo gets slapped with a lawsuit by some company nobody has ever heard of.
This time it's Hillcrest Laboratories Inc. stepping up to the plate with claims that its motion-control technology is being used in the hugely successful Nintendo Wii. Three of Hillcrest's patents are for motion-control technology known as Freespace, according to a report by Bloomberg, while a fourth covers "graphical interface software used on the television."
Unlike many previous "patent troll" lawsuits, however, this one may have a somewhat more solid basis: Hillcrest has actually developed and licensed its motion-control and graphic interface techologies to companies including Logitech and Universal Electronics. "While Hillcrest Labs has a great deal of respect for Nintendo and the Wii, Hillcrest Labs believes that Nintendo is in clear violation of its patents and has taken this action to protect its intellectual property rights," the company said.
Hillcrest has filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission requesting that importation of the Wii and Wii Remotes be blocked, as well as a civil lawsuit which predictably seeks a cash settlement, although the actual amount was not revealed. The lawsuit will "likely" be suspended while the ITC conducts an investigation, which normally drag on for about 15 months.
Nintendo has been hit with numerous lawsuits in the wake of the phenomenal success of the Wii, and currently has litigation pending in Texas, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Wilmington. The company is also seeking to overturn a $21 million ruling against it in a patent infringement case involving the Wii Classic, WaveBird and GameCube controllers.
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