Two U.S courts have ruled in Nintendo’s favor on two separate patent infringement cases.
While patent infringement lawsuits are occasionally due to one company or individual legitimately ripping off another, more often than not, it’s simply patent trolls making rather questionable claims. This time, Nintendo has triumphed over Creative Kingdom, who claimed Nintendo’s Wiimote technology was lifted from “magic wand” toys developed for use in theme parks, and UltimatePointer, who claimed the Wiimote infringed on two patents regarding wireless “direct pointing devices.”
The later case was decided by the The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, while the former was handled by the the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
“We are pleased with the court’s determination,” said Richard Medway, vice president and deputy general counsel for Nintendo of America, in a prepared statement. “Nintendo’s track record demonstrates that we vigorously defend patent lawsuits, particularly when the patents are being stretched beyond the inventors’ ideas. Nintendo continues to develop unique and innovative products while respecting the intellectual property rights of others.”
Additionally, Medway stressed that “we do not, nor have we ever, infringed these patents. The result in this case, once again, demonstrates that Nintendo will continue to vigorously defend its innovations against patent lawsuits, even if it must do so in multiple courts and commit significant resources to defend itself. Nintendo continues to support reform efforts to reduce the unnecessary and inefficient burden patent cases like this one place on technology companies in the United States.”
Source: Nintendo
Published: Dec 24, 2014 07:13 am