Appeals Court Affirms Nintendo’s Win in Patent Lawsuit
Nintendo announced the dismissal of a 2010 lawsuit filed by Triton Tech of Texas over the Wii Remote.
Triton had alleged that the technology powering the Wii Remote infringed against its patent for a “computer apparatus input device for three-dimensional information.” The original case case, presided by Judge Richard A. Jones, dismissed Triton’s claims that the Nintendo Wii Remote infringed on Triton’s patents, and on June 13 that decision was affirmed by the Federal Appeals Court.
The lawsuit was originally overturned on grounds that Triton’s patent failed to fully describe a compete invention.
This suit is only the latest in a series of patent lawsuits that Nintendo has fought off in the last few years involving the motion-sensing technology of the Wii Remote, including recent cases by Koninklijke Phillips and Motiva that were both ruled in Nintendo’s favor.
Rick Flamm, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of Legal & General Counsel, has previously commented on the rise of these patent lawsuits and referred to the opposing companies as “patent trolls.”
“We are very pleased with this result,” said Richard Medway, Nintendo of America’s deputy general counsel. “Nintendo has a long tradition of developing unique and innovative products, while respecting the intellectual property rights of others. Nintendo continues to aggressively defend itself against patent trolls. After many years of litigation, the decision today reflects an appropriate resolution of this case.”