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Nintendo ordered to pay $21 million for patent infringement
12:00 PM on 05.15.2008, Dale North 26 comments

Nintendo ordered to pay $21 million for patent infringement photo
     Legal System

And it's not what you're thinking, either. No one has a beef (yet) with the Wii's wand-waggling technology; Nintendo paid out for infringement on the design of the GameCube controllers.

Anascape, an East Texas gaming company, is now $21 million dollars richer after Nintendo shelled out the cash. A jury found that Nintendo infringed on Anascape's patent while designing its Wii Classic Controller, WaveBird and GameCube controllers. The lawsuit was originally filed back in 2006. 

According to AP, Nintendo spokesman Charlie Scibetta said the company will seek an appeal and expects the court to reduce the award "significantly."

Nintendo wasn't the only target: Anascape also went after Microsoft for infringement, but reached an agreement with the company before the start of the trial against Nintendo. Safe!

I don't know who copied who, but I love my Wii Classic controller! Regardless of who has to pay who, I can still get more for $20!

What? Nintendo has the money! 


Next page: More Nintendo stories




Lord The Night Knight's Avatar
Lord The Night Knight at 05/15/2008 12:02
Nintendo may have grounds, but if they lost the appeal, I hope they just pay up, avoid the PR headache, and then just release, say, Mario Pary 9 to make their money back.
that1dood's Avatar
that1dood at 05/15/2008 12:13
I need to draw up some random controller design and patent it. Then just sit on it and wait for someone like Nintendo or Apple or whatever to make something vaguely similar. Lawsuits like this seem to happen all of the time and it sounds like they almost always end up with the big bad company (in this case, Nintendo) just shelling out cash to shut them up.
Boolean's Avatar
Boolean at 05/15/2008 12:23
It's a piece of plastic with buttons, how in the world did someone patent that? Are companies supposed to put the thumb sticks on the back of the controller because the location is patented?

How odd 0.o
Faceless's Avatar
Faceless at 05/15/2008 12:29
Part of me wants to be happy for the little guy winning out over a big corporation, but the part of me that fucking hates money grabbing exploitations of the American legal system is disgusted by this. This could be a legitimate case but I doubt it.
big filth's Avatar
big filth at 05/15/2008 12:30
Im suing nintendo for letting me play gamecube games on my Wii.
JamnOnTheOne's Avatar
JamnOnTheOne at 05/15/2008 12:30
Use the superior and older Gamasutra article to actually get the patent numbers and investigate for yourself.

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=10363

Most of these patents were filed in the late 90's

Here's the description of one of them, you guys can research the rest:

http://www.patentgenius.com/patent/5999084.html
mix's Avatar
mix at 05/15/2008 12:37
I must go out and buy 20 more Wii's to help Nintendo out, don't worry guys I'm coming!!

I wonder how MS dodged the bullet? Probably threatened the company by cutting off supplies or something....
Corak's Avatar
Corak at 05/15/2008 12:40
"Pics or GTFO"

Yea I'm sure you can get $21 million out of a major international corporation with absolutly nothing to back up your claim. See Jamnontheone's comment for more on it.

Hi I like to comment on things I know absolutly nothing about, will not look further into it, and just type whatever comes out of my mouth.
Hoygeit's Avatar
Hoygeit at 05/15/2008 12:44
(Could be wrong here but) Didn't the same thing happen with Microsoft and Immersion? Where Microsoft settled sooner but for a lower amount?
Faux's Avatar
Faux at 05/15/2008 12:44
IIRC Nintendo hasn't payed up- they're seeking an appeal.
Joseph Gabaeff's Avatar
Joseph Gabaeff at 05/15/2008 13:01
Patent trollery for real! Notice that the patents were granted to a guy in Paradise, CA, but he sued in the Eastern District of Texas. EDoT is (in)famous for patent infringement cases because the humble jurors there find in favor of the plantiffs 70% of the time! (See the American Video Graphics suit). These patents look like they may have merit, but as with so many patents in the hardware and software space, it takes little ingenuity to create, the inventor only needs the idea, i.e. you could give the idea to 1000 designers, and 900 of them would do it this way, but since the man from Paradise thought of it first, he (or whomever he sells his patents to) can knock on Nintendo's door and ask for $20 million.
KamikazeTutor's Avatar
KamikazeTutor at 05/15/2008 13:13
I call it karma.
Chilly's Avatar
Chilly at 05/15/2008 13:30
Part of me finds it funny because of the long wait to brawl for us EU people (even though my flat mate has an Import of it). BUT, a big part of me thinks WTF!?
Wheres the sony lawsuit? I love seeing them take lawsuits. R.I.P. My old friend Liksang.
The smaller companies that make'em 3rd party or PC?

Selective attacks!
zombiekiller13's Avatar
zombiekiller13 at 05/15/2008 13:37
I read somewhere that once you patent something, you are allowed to make changes to it. So this company (anyone ever hear of them or their amazing contribution to video games? Didn't think so) could have had some vague game controller patent out there, just waiting for a company with $$$ to make something similar. Then, they make minor changes to their patent and sue.

That they went after Microsoft as well...colored buttons? Placement of analog sticks and d-pad? Bulkiness of controller? Those are the only similarities I noticed, ones that would leave Sony out of it.
razerangel's Avatar
razerangel at 05/15/2008 14:05
Thats some epic lawsuit trolling there!
Grapefruit Juice's Avatar
Grapefruit Juice at 05/15/2008 14:05
this makes no sense, Nintendo can do no wrong.
MechaMonkey's Avatar
MechaMonkey at 05/15/2008 14:57
Oh please, Nintendo... $21 million is pocket change for you guys. Cough it up and move on.
niacin's Avatar
niacin at 05/15/2008 15:50
ah juries and corporate lawsuits its such a sensible combination.
12 (or however many it is) random people who probably have no concept of commercial law suddenly having to listen to a bunch of lawyers use so many long words. Half these cases the jury decides the bigger company is the evil one and the other half they might as well just toss a coin cause the jury hasn't understood a word.
hools vern's Avatar
hools vern at 05/15/2008 16:02
Just curious, how many fucking ways are there to design an analog stick because it seems everybody and their grandmother has a patent for one o dem dere thing-a-ma-bobs these days.
Dexter345's Avatar
Dexter345 at 05/15/2008 17:05
I want to start a company that nobody has ever heard of and then sue people for copyright infringement. Easiest $21 million ever.
DGX Goggles's Avatar
DGX Goggles at 05/15/2008 17:16
Two things:

1. Sure is Nintendo fanboy in here.

2. Big N just needs to pay up, I'm sure they can make that much back in less than a week.
mr showtime's Avatar
mr showtime at 05/15/2008 17:31
I should sue Nintendo!

I invented a wireless gaming device that utilized hand-held remotes for gameplay in my garage back in the early nineties!

The system was actually just a large raisin box and the remotes were small tree branches, but dammit I invented it first!!




Please make the check out to "Mr. Showtime."
BattyAdroit's Avatar
BattyAdroit at 05/15/2008 19:00
In before the Destructoid legal eagles judge this case, without understanding any facts, or knowi - oh, f* it, nevermind.
Necros's Avatar
Necros at 05/17/2008 00:01
God damn fucking patent squatters.
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