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Nintendo getting sued over Wii patent infringement

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Old Aug 21, 2008 | 12:00 PM
  #1  
Moog-Type-S's Avatar
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Nintendo getting sued over Wii patent infringement

TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Nintendo's hit Wii console with its wandlike remote controller has been targeted in patent infringement complaints by a U.S. technology company.

Hillcrest Laboratories, based in Rockville, Maryland, has filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington D.C., and a patent infringement lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Maryland against Nintendo Corp., the company said in a statement Wednesday.

Kyoto-based Nintendo spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa said Thursday the Japanese video game company has not yet received the lawsuit and had no comment.

Hillcrest is accusing Nintendo of infringement in four patents dealing with technology for a handheld three-dimensional pointing device and a display interface system for organizing graphic content on a TV, it said.

"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," it said.

The Wii console has been a big hit around the world, selling a cumulative 29.6 million worldwide since its arrival in late 2006.

With its trademark wandlike remove controller, which users have dubbed "Wiimote," the Wii has scored success against the PlayStation 3 from Japanese rival Sony Corp., which went on sale about the same time, as well as against the Xbox 360 from Microsoft Corp.

Unlike old-style games that require players to push a complex combination of buttons, Wii comes with an easy-to-use remote to swing around like a tennis racket or fishing pole. The machine has proven appealing to relative newcomers to gaming, including women and the elderly.

Nintendo -- which also makes the Nintendo DS handheld machine and Pokemon and Super Mario game software -- aims to sell 25 million Wii consoles in the fiscal year through March 2009.
cnn
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Old Aug 21, 2008 | 12:03 PM
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Whiskers's Avatar
Go Giants
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These late lawsuits make me wonder....
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Old Aug 21, 2008 | 12:47 PM
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Moog-Type-S's Avatar
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The sizzle in the Steak
 
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Sony got sued late in the game for the controlers
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Old Aug 21, 2008 | 03:49 PM
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Sun Diego CL-S's Avatar
says "hello to my TLX".
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Did it take this many years to put a defense together?
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Old Aug 21, 2008 | 05:53 PM
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CLpower's Avatar
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Originally Posted by Sun Diego CL-S
Did it take this many years to put a defense together?
That, and they probably weren't in a huge rush because the more units sold, the more money Nintendo makes, and the bigger the lawsuit can be
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Old Aug 22, 2008 | 12:39 AM
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bud760's Avatar
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Hillcrest Labs Freespace

Gyration Go


The hillcrest product is more of an electronic tambourine. They just want some loot from Nintendo.
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Old Aug 22, 2008 | 10:05 AM
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fucking patent trolls
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Old Aug 24, 2008 | 11:10 PM
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WdnUlik2no's Avatar
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meh, good luck with that one. Funny how they waited until they saw how much $$$ Nintendo was raking in before they filed suit.
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Old Aug 24, 2008 | 11:24 PM
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those jerks.
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