Nintendo Hammers Home Another Court Victory
You have to hand it to Nintendo; they really do defend their intellectual properties and patents. Back in 2012 Motion Games had filed a complaint against Nintendo saying its Wii Remote infringed on patents used to track assembly line components using cameras. The courts have declared the patent granted to Motion Games invalid and that it should never have been granted.
Nintendo seems to be very understandably annoyed by patent trolls whom lawyer up and clog the judicial system with meritless lawsuits. Ajay Singh, Nintendo of America’s Director of Litigation and Compliance commented, “Litigation tactics cannot save an invalid patent, and such attempts only underscore the need for patent reform that reduces unnecessary burdens on defendants. Nintendo has a long history of developing innovative products, and will continue to vigorously defend those products from patent lawsuits.”
On Tuesday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a decision by the United States Patent and Trademark Office to invalidate a patent on manufacturing technology asserted against Nintendo in 2012 by Motion Games, LLC. The court’s order also means there are no valid patent claims remaining in a companion litigation pending in the Eastern District of Texas.
Motion Games’ patent described cameras and systems that track assembly-line components, such as car parts. Motion Games asserted that the Wii Remote infringed that manufacturing patent. During the litigation, Nintendo successfully overcame numerous needlessly burdensome discovery demands from Motion Games, including improper demands to interrogate top-level executives.
“We are very pleased with the court’s confirmation that Motion Games’ patent is invalid and never should have been granted,” said Ajay Singh, Nintendo of America’s Director of Litigation and Compliance. “Litigation tactics cannot save an invalid patent, and such attempts only underscore the need for patent reform that reduces unnecessary burdens on defendants. Nintendo has a long history of developing innovative products, and will continue to vigorously defend those products from patent lawsuits.”
Craig has been covering the video game industry since 1995. His work has been published across a wide spectrum of media sites. He’s currently the Editor-In-Chief of Nintendo Times and contributes to Gaming Age.
