Nintendo and Sony sued over controller patent - bit-tech.net Forums

CardJoe · 11th Jan 2008, 10:29

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/01...oller_patent/1

It's lawsuit time again and this time Nintendo and Sony are being sued by a company which claims the patent to the controller software.

Rich_13 · 11th Jan 2008, 10:50

Sounds more like they want to go after the bluetooth spec in general (so that'd be SE not Sony or Nintendo), no way will this standup...

rowin4kicks · 11th Jan 2008, 10:50

no way will that stand! Nintendo and Sony have to much to lose so they will probably throw everything they have at the case, or at least the part that stops them from making these controllers!

steveo_mcg · 11th Jan 2008, 10:59

You forget how broken the us patent system is... I could easily see this going through. My prediction Sony will toss a few million for exclusive deal and back the little company in court forcing Nintendo to redesign their console... if you can't beat them.. cheat. TBH i would be quite poetic justice given thats what Nintendo and MS done to Sony over the rumble pack.

mclean007 · 11th Jan 2008, 11:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveo_mcg

My prediction Sony will toss a few million for exclusive deal and back the little company in court forcing Nintendo to redesign their console...

You mean exactly as MS did with the force feedback case a few months back? I seem to recall they settled with the patent-holder and paid them a large sum of money, a significant proportion of which constituted a loan to cover the company's legal fees in a suit against Sony, repayable out of any settlement or damages paid by Sony! Genius!

<A88> · 11th Jan 2008, 11:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveo_mcg

You forget how broken the us patent system is... I could easily see this going through. My prediction Sony will toss a few million for exclusive deal and back the little company in court forcing Nintendo to redesign their console... if you can't beat them.. cheat. TBH i would be quite poetic justice given thats what Nintendo and MS done to Sony over the rumble pack.

They didn't do anything- Immersion sued Sony because they were the only one out of the 3 not paying royalties for using the rumble technology.

steveo_mcg · 11th Jan 2008, 11:35

Immersion is owned by Nintendo isn't it? If not my bad but i remember reading that some where.

Bladestorm · 11th Jan 2008, 12:01

I have to say I think they're money grubbers of the worst kind regardless of wether it turns out they have a leg to stand on!

mclean007 · 11th Jan 2008, 12:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by <A88>

They didn't do anything- Immersion sued Sony because they were the only one out of the 3 not paying royalties for using the rumble technology.

But Immersion was backed in the Sony suit by MS: http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2007/06...es_immersion/1

mikeuk2004 · 11th Jan 2008, 12:16

I really got to get in this patent business and file as many as I can. Easy money

Mentai · 11th Jan 2008, 12:40

So how does the xbox 360 wireless work then?
I would be pretty shocked if this went through, the patent is no where near specific enough imo. Sigh...

AcidJiles · 11th Jan 2008, 13:07

I think tommorrow I should patent a method of communiction between humans that uses vocal chords to produce sounds which are amplified using the mouth and transmit sounds waves to other humans. Then take an injuction out against anyone speaking.

Some Patents are far too vauge and should be cancelled as time goes on. Maybe originally the patent only covered a small area but as time went on and technology advanced it covered a wider area, further than a patent should.

Drexial · 11th Jan 2008, 13:57

i thought long ago the idea of a patent was that you had a specific solution to a specific problem. Not something like "a process to transmit data through electronic signals" this is just getting ridiculous.

eldiablo · 11th Jan 2008, 15:03

"covers a method for connecting devices to a system and sorting their inputs by means of hardware identification numbers tied to each transmission"
What about a MAC addres? They could start sueing every network company in the world. I really hate these patents, its meant to protect stuff, not to make money of it.

speedfreek · 11th Jan 2008, 16:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by eldiablo

"covers a method for connecting devices to a system and sorting their inputs by means of hardware identification numbers tied to each transmission"
What about a MAC addres? They could start sueing every network company in the world. I really hate these patents, its meant to protect stuff, not to make money of it.

Thats what I was thinking, that is a very vague patent and could apply to almost anything electronic.

outlawaol · 11th Jan 2008, 17:45

Sounds like they are going for the wireless world in general.

Crazy sob's.

TGImages · 11th Jan 2008, 17:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by eldiablo

"covers a method for connecting devices to a system and sorting their inputs by means of hardware identification numbers tied to each transmission"
What about a MAC addres? They could start sueing every network company in the world. I really hate these patents, its meant to protect stuff, not to make money of it.

That might actually be a defense. I've heard that lack of prior infringement makes future infringement harder to prosecute... the same reason Disney will go after a small child day care center that painted the mouse on the wall... not that they expect to even recoup costs but so when a major infringer comes along they have standing to go after them.

On the other hand it also sounds like the Submarine Patent ploy. http://www.researchoninnovation.org/WordPress/?p=6

Iorek · 11th Jan 2008, 18:25

Surely then, this also covers microsoft's wireless controller, which uses part of the ring to indicate which pad is which? (instead of an actual number)

imo, the whole patent system is flawed for letting such stupid things get through.

I remember reading one not so long back about Microsoft Patenting on screen feedback on presentations - hold on, that covers pen on old style projector too? half the time they are that vague that they don't mean anything and theres no real thing to protect.

Brett89 · 11th Jan 2008, 20:01

again? good luck beating those two companies, lol

DXR_13KE · 12th Jan 2008, 00:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brett89

again? good luck beating those two companies, lol

No one is that lucky....

11th Jan 2008, 10:29	#1
CardJoe Player Character bit-tech Staff Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 7,940	Nintendo and Sony sued over controller patent http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/01...oller_patent/1 It's lawsuit time again and this time Nintendo and Sony are being sued by a company which claims the patent to the controller software. __________________ this is joe's non-bit-tech blog

11th Jan 2008, 10:50	#2
Rich_13 Hypermodder Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: London /Essex Uni Posts: 716	Sounds more like they want to go after the bluetooth spec in general (so that'd be SE not Sony or Nintendo), no way will this standup... __________________ [Gaming laptop:][Intel Cour Duo2 T7200 ] [Nvidia7900GS GO] [1920x1200 display] [2GB DDR][Creative 6.1's ] My blog

11th Jan 2008, 10:50	#3
rowin4kicks Hypermodder Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Windsor, UK Posts: 760	no way will that stand! Nintendo and Sony have to much to lose so they will probably throw everything they have at the case, or at least the part that stops them from making these controllers! __________________ Penguin v5.0 on it's way... AMD Phenom II X4 955 - 4Gb 1600Mhz Corsair Dominator - XFX Radeon HD 5850 - Corsair HX650W - 500Gb Samsung F2

11th Jan 2008, 10:59	#4
steveo_mcg What owl? Join Date: May 2005 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 3,975	You forget how broken the us patent system is... I could easily see this going through. My prediction Sony will toss a few million for exclusive deal and back the little company in court forcing Nintendo to redesign their console... if you can't beat them.. cheat. TBH i would be quite poetic justice given thats what Nintendo and MS done to Sony over the rumble pack. __________________ No boom today, boom tomorrow... there's always a boom tomorrow.

11th Jan 2008, 11:35	#7
steveo_mcg What owl? Join Date: May 2005 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 3,975	Immersion is owned by Nintendo isn't it? If not my bad but i remember reading that some where. __________________ No boom today, boom tomorrow... there's always a boom tomorrow.

11th Jan 2008, 12:01	#8
Bladestorm Hypermodder Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 682	I have to say I think they're money grubbers of the worst kind regardless of wether it turns out they have a leg to stand on! __________________ Athlon 64 X2 3800+ @ 250x10 (1.475v) \| EVGA GTX 260 55nm SSC \| A8N-SLI Premium \| 2x(4GB) Corsair Twinx2048-PC3200C2 \| Asus Xonar DX \| Antec truepower 550w \| Akasa Eclipse-62 DDC12VPlus1, DD TDX, 3/8 tygon r3603 tubing, PA120.2, DD double floppy bay res

11th Jan 2008, 12:16	#10
mikeuk2004 What you Looking at Fool! Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sheffield, UK Posts: 3,045	I really got to get in this patent business and file as many as I can. Easy money __________________ -\|- Xfire - Mikeuk2005 -\|- Xbox Live - Mike UK 2006 -\|- Playstation Network - Mikeuk2004 -\|-

11th Jan 2008, 12:40	#11
Mentai Supermodder Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: New Zealand Posts: 491	So how does the xbox 360 wireless work then? I would be pretty shocked if this went through, the patent is no where near specific enough imo. Sigh...

11th Jan 2008, 13:07	#12
AcidJiles Multimodder Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 152	I think tommorrow I should patent a method of communiction between humans that uses vocal chords to produce sounds which are amplified using the mouth and transmit sounds waves to other humans. Then take an injuction out against anyone speaking. Some Patents are far too vauge and should be cancelled as time goes on. Maybe originally the patent only covered a small area but as time went on and technology advanced it covered a wider area, further than a patent should.

11th Jan 2008, 13:57	#13
Drexial Supermodder Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 297	i thought long ago the idea of a patent was that you had a specific solution to a specific problem. Not something like "a process to transmit data through electronic signals" this is just getting ridiculous.

11th Jan 2008, 15:03	#14
eldiablo Multimodder Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Belgium, West-Flanders Posts: 84	"covers a method for connecting devices to a system and sorting their inputs by means of hardware identification numbers tied to each transmission" What about a MAC addres? They could start sueing every network company in the world. I really hate these patents, its meant to protect stuff, not to make money of it.

11th Jan 2008, 17:45	#16
outlawaol ▲Operational Hazard Sticker▲ Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Greenbay, WI Posts: 930	Sounds like they are going for the wireless world in general. Crazy sob's. __________________ 40D\| 350D \| 24-105 f/4L \| 24-70 f/2.8 Sigma \| 50mm f/1.8 \| 75-300 f/4-5.6 Sigma \| 420ex Speedlight 365 Daily Photograph \| Smugmug

11th Jan 2008, 18:25	#18
Iorek What's a Dremel? Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 9	Surely then, this also covers microsoft's wireless controller, which uses part of the ring to indicate which pad is which? (instead of an actual number) imo, the whole patent system is flawed for letting such stupid things get through. I remember reading one not so long back about Microsoft Patenting on screen feedback on presentations - hold on, that covers pen on old style projector too? half the time they are that vague that they don't mean anything and theres no real thing to protect.

11th Jan 2008, 20:01	#19
Brett89 Ultramodder Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Grand Forks ND Posts: 1,084	again? good luck beating those two companies, lol __________________ C2D e6700 @ 3.25 Asus P5n-e SLi, 4GB of OCZ Platinum, Xonar D2, 320 and 160 GB Seagate, eVGA 8800 GTX and an Antec P182. C2D T7500 2.2ghz, 2GB DDR2, Quadro NVS 135M 14.1in screen