Sony, Nintendo Sued Over Controllers

[Andy Chalk]

Sony, Nintendo Sued Over Controllers

Nintendo [http://www.sony.com]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 PlayStation 3 [http://au.gamespot.com/news/6184585.html]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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[ArchAnemone]

From Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_35_of_the_United_States_Code]:

35 U.S.C. § 103 describes the condition of patentability referred to as non-obviousness [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inventive_step_and_non-obviousness]. This provides that a patentable invention must not have been obvious to a "person having ordinary skill in the art [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Person_having_ordinary_skill_in_the_art]" in view of the appropriate prior art.

How else would you sort device inputs?

 

[daemonire]

Luckily other controlers work through telepathy, so they're not violating that patent.

 

[Ros Lai]

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.

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.

I guess Nintendo and Sony will have to recall all of their controllers and replace them with delicious, fresh-baked hams.

 

[Echolocating]

What about Microsoft? Of course, this is a frivolous lawsuit, but I'm curious as to why Microsoft is not being sued... anybody know?

 

[Watershed]

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.

 

[REDPill357]

What about Microsoft? Of course, this is a frivolous lawsuit, but I'm curious as to why Microsoft is not being sued... anybody know?

360 fanboys?

 

[Geoffrey42]

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.

 

[KurtNiisan]

360 fanboys?

- That's a great idea! We'll surgically attach cables to 360 Fanboys and use *them* as controllers! :0

 

[WNxSajuukCor]

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?

 

[Easykill]

I believe it means controllers that use motion sensors.

 

[Watershed]

Another controller lawsuit? Seriously, do people just go and patent things in hopes big name companies will pay out in the end?

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.

 

[Ian Dorsch]

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.

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.

 

[Easykill]

......another symptom of how hopelessly fubar patent law is in this country.

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.

 

[squirrelman42]

someone wants money and is grasping at straws to get it

 

[WNxSajuukCor]

I believe it means controllers that use motion sensors.

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.

 

[Wolfgod]

I believe it means controllers that use motion sensors.

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.

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

 

[lewa nua]

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)

 

[Divinegon]

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).

 

[lewa nua]

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).

Lawl soon Intel/AMD will be sued by IBM/Lenovo for making CPUs then well be stuck with crappy lenovos