Microsoft has, over the course of the 360's shelf life, been subject to numerous lawsuits. From a civil suit brought by disgruntled customers to patent and copyright violation suits brought by 3rd party hardware developers Microsoft seems to have spent almost as much time and money defending their second entry into the console race in court as they have developing and marketing it.
This new lawsuit brought forth by CBS, owners of the Mission Impossible license (the television series license not the Tom Cruise vehicle movie license) and Lilly Geller, daughter of Bruce Geller who penned and produced the series, claims Microsoft has violated "several intellectual property rights" and seeks an undisclosed amount of damages.
While a CBS spokesperson wouldn't comment on the sought amount nor why CBS has waited so long to begin legal proceedings he did make the following statement.
"We believe that Microsoft, either willingly or unknowingly has, in the design and production of the Xbox 360 computer game system, violated a patent filed and established well before the console began was developed"
The patent in question is available here [http://www.uspto.gov] and reads as follows.
"A device or modification to an existing device which, after delivering an audio, visual or multimedia presentation, will enable the emission of copious amounts of black smoke as well as the phrase "This [device] will self destruct in five seconds" followed by self destruction"
Microsoft representatives were unavailable for comment.
This new lawsuit brought forth by CBS, owners of the Mission Impossible license (the television series license not the Tom Cruise vehicle movie license) and Lilly Geller, daughter of Bruce Geller who penned and produced the series, claims Microsoft has violated "several intellectual property rights" and seeks an undisclosed amount of damages.
While a CBS spokesperson wouldn't comment on the sought amount nor why CBS has waited so long to begin legal proceedings he did make the following statement.
"We believe that Microsoft, either willingly or unknowingly has, in the design and production of the Xbox 360 computer game system, violated a patent filed and established well before the console began was developed"
The patent in question is available here [http://www.uspto.gov] and reads as follows.
"A device or modification to an existing device which, after delivering an audio, visual or multimedia presentation, will enable the emission of copious amounts of black smoke as well as the phrase "This [device] will self destruct in five seconds" followed by self destruction"
Microsoft representatives were unavailable for comment.
