Has Nintendo infringed Hillcrest's patents with Wii ? Or is this a case of more patent trolling?

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) is looking into allegations that Nintendo has infringed the patents of a company called Hillcrest Laboratories with its hugely popular Wii games console.

Hillcrest claims that Nintendo has infringed four of its patents with Wii.

[zoydwheeler]

Because as a boy I once had an idea about making a magical online world where gamers could all play together as one - which both companies have clearly stolen from me. I failed to patent the idea, but I still think I have a case. Are there any IP lawyers present?

[Final_Rpg]

IP LAWYER REPORTING IN!

[Calcio]

Patent trolling. Stick on.

[mchax]

Copyright boundaries and IP rights have blurred so much recently - i don't think there is a case here. You don't need to be a Dragon from Dragon's Den to work that out

[siyrobbo]

i thought nintendo licsenced its technology from another company? if thats the case its not nintendo they should be suing, but them.

[jedthehumanoid]

let me guess. This company is American? What a surprise. I sympathise with you Zoydwheeler. I accidentally sat on a burger the other day. And afterwards I suddenly thought what a good idea it would be to sell messy, squashed, disgusting, flat, squishy hamburgers. Then I heard about this company called McDonalds that's apparently already selling such a product. The lawsuit is in the post.

[chanmasta]

... nice McDonalds joke, but I think the best one is the joke in Hancock. LOL! xD

Anyway back on topic, i think it's pathetic all these patents against Nintendo, all the stupid f@ggots trying to rob Nintendo's money. :(

[dib8rman]

Every succesful company goes through this, that's the reason they have a board of lawyers, Nintendo's is not unfamiliar to this stunt in growth - due to legislation, their was a time Universal Studios sued them for the word Kong in Donkey Kong. But back then the result was a hold up in production for Nintendo to expand into Europe. (They were being sued by a jealous Atari also.) The result was a weak Nintendo pressence in Europe by the time of the N64.

The patent Hill Crest wont hold though, due to public art, the patent they filed was two months before the Wii was launched, but three months after the E3 showing. Also the specifics of the Wii itself were designed internally and the manufacturing was outsourced.

Hill Crest designes optical mouces and so on, their patents only vaugly fit the Wiimotes functions, but then again.. so do optical mouces. Also their patent uses gyroscope tracking, Wiimote uses accelorometers. ^_^ The IR is used to track space on the screen not space around the player.

Motus had the same misconjecture about the IR.

[ChickeyCantor]

If they win it could damage Nintendo.
But honestly from what i understand...you navigate trough menus...in a totally different way ?!

Hillcrest got confused i think.

[Mahr]

As usual, this is a problem that stems from our ridiculous patent laws.

Basically, the way copyright stuff is set up, Hill Crest is required --by law -- to file against any potential claims that bear even the most passing of similarities to its stuff. This is not actually going to result in anything, because there's tons of differentiation, and Hill Crest *knows* they're not going to actually get anything against Nintendo.

But they *have* to do this, they have to file a worthless claim that they know is not going to amount to anything because -- get this -- if they don't, then they lose their patent.

Basically, your typical bureaucratic nonsense and inefficiency.