We're going to guess you've never heard of the Weemote, a little blue remote control made by a company called Forbis. The egg-shaped remote control and its parent company are reportedly in financial trouble ever since
another company came out with something a lot of people are calling the "
Wiimote." While the Nintendo Wii Remote's official name isn't
that word (we refuse to type it again), evil bloggers and retail chains have taken to the term and Forbis claims its brand has been diluted, confused, and passed up. Owner John Stephen told Game Politics that he would like nothing more than to have Nintendo buy out the trademark and let him move on to something called, oh, let's say, the X Bocks, a new microbrewery project. The big surprise out of all of this? Nintendo isn't interested. In fact, it has no legal reason to do so, either -- it's never officially called the Wii Remote anything else. Of course, that's not to say Ninty shouldn't do the right thing here (and make our jobs just a hair easier) by buying out the mark and sanctioning the nickname, but don't hold your breath.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
initialxy @ Jul 24th 2008 1:02PM
only 1 to 5 on that thing? how the hell am i supposed to browse through my 90 channels?
High Ranks make you sterile @ Jul 24th 2008 1:16PM
Whoa whoa whoa... I thought that all previous references to the "Wiimote" was to this Forbis product.... no wonder why you guys kept getting the company, images, and spelling wrong! My mistake. What's this Nintendo device you speak of?
But yeah.... if I was pictured on this crappy remote, I'd be frowning just like the television-face thing is too.
High Ranks make you sterile @ Jul 24th 2008 1:20PM
Oh and I decided to dedicate the newly-formed puddle outside my house in honor of female teenage golf pro Michelle Wie. I dubbed it the Wie Moat.
Nintendo pay me plz? k thx bai
DSeaver @ Jul 24th 2008 1:26PM
90 Channels? You must not have digital cable yet....
NHAnimator @ Jul 24th 2008 1:30PM
Sorry, you can no longer reference the number 90(R). In fact, they are currently in litigation with Engadget over the latter's flippant use of the term "Ninty".
Harlan @ Jul 24th 2008 3:26PM
Why, in base 5 of course! :-) (Is there a name for base 5, such as binary, octal, hexadecimal?)
jupiterthunder @ Jul 24th 2008 5:30PM
@High Ranks
I'm hoping (almost sure) you know, but that was 'shopped.
David @ Jul 24th 2008 5:38PM
Tivo should sue over the icon on the remote.
paultakeda @ Jul 24th 2008 7:17PM
@Harlan
bi, tri, quad, quint, sex, sept, oct, non, dec.
So that would be quinary.
initialxy @ Jul 24th 2008 7:37PM
@Harlan, base 5 needs 0 to 4. 1 to 5 won't work. eg, 5 = 10 in base 5.
good try though.
BirdofPrey @ Aug 9th 2008 7:39AM
Actually 10 is 5 in base 5
20 is 10 in base 5
Peter @ Jul 24th 2008 1:03PM
looks like a very complicated vibrator.
Engadgetluvsappl @ Jul 24th 2008 1:03PM
This post made me giggle. Thanks, Joshua :)
Tonicboy @ Jul 24th 2008 1:09PM
Way to go, John Steven. Abuse the judicial system much?
DSeaver @ Jul 24th 2008 1:17PM
He's not even suing them, he just wants them to buy the trademark since what most people call the Wii Remote is a phonetic equivalent of his product. He has no grounds to sue them anyway, since Nintendo doesn't call or refer to the Wii Remote as the Wiimote. He is offering Nintendo the trademark so that they can label the Wii Remotes as much.
Mam00th @ Jul 24th 2008 1:10PM
God! That is one ugly piece of technology...
Dee @ Jul 24th 2008 1:13PM
Back in the day Nintendo never referred to there products with the slang of the era.
a "GAME PAK" was never called a "Cartridge" or a "Nintendo Tape" it was always a "Game Pak" in Nintendo documentation.
So I doubt this would happen.
HOOPER @ Jul 24th 2008 1:15PM
I didn't know anybody ever called it a "Nintendo tape".
Grant @ Jul 24th 2008 10:22PM
only when grandpa was buying it for little billy.
Outinthedark @ Jul 24th 2008 1:15PM
Wee-Wiimote...anyone?
Mr Therapy @ Jul 24th 2008 1:17PM
Why would Nintendo pay money to this guy for no reason. Even though many of us refer to our controllers as "Wiimotes", I would bet that most of us would spell it "Wiimote" and not that 'other' way. Save the "Weemote" for the little tikes. Those are just the breaks buddy. That's life..
looseinthedeuce @ Jul 24th 2008 1:25PM
And now, because Engadget mentioned "Weemote" for the second time in a few days, Weemote's stock will skyrocket.
Jason Adams @ Jul 24th 2008 1:26PM
Hey...my son has one of those. Oh yeah and he has the other too. He never gets to two confused and he is 7.
Eric @ Jul 24th 2008 1:38PM
The issue here is that the company has to send cease-and-desist letters to whoever uses the term "Wiimote," or they can lose the trademark. Selling the trademark, and finding a new name, is much easier than continuing to send out letters.
garhol @ Jul 25th 2008 8:24AM
"The issue here is that the company has to send cease-and-desist letters to whoever uses the term "Wiimote," or they can lose the trademark."
Which isn't an issue for Nintendo at all as they are the only people, unlike the rest of the planet, who are not using that term.
z0phi3l @ Jul 24th 2008 6:12PM
Wiimote doesn't infringe on his name Weemote, just because it sounds similar isn't grounds (no matter what MS says)
paps @ Jul 25th 2008 1:46AM
@ z0phi3l
If the Wiimote was a trademarked name owned by Nintendo, then the Weemote could sue for infringement. They have a similar sounding name and that is grounds for litigation...
Remember when Microsoft sued Lindows?
sn1per @ Jul 25th 2008 10:46AM
"Remember when Microsoft sued Lindows?"
And MS had to settle out of court to avoid losing the case?
Microsoft feared that a court may define "Windows" as generic and result in the loss of its status as a trademark. In July 2004, Microsoft offered to settle with Lindows. Microsoft paid an estimated $24 million cash (for a case that Microsoft itself brought), and Lindows transferred the Lindows trademark to Microsoft and changed their name to Linspire.
Mutant @ Jul 24th 2008 1:43PM
I got one of these given to me at a trade show about 6 or 7 years ago. It was kind of cool since it could be programed with macros to turning stuff on and tuning to a specific channel but since my nephew was 6 and had his own hand me down PC he didn't need the help with his own remote control. The weemote is is a box in the bottom of a cupboard somewhere at home.
I do remember thinking when the Nintendo Revolution got called the Wii that Nintendo couldn't use the term Wiimote since there was already a Weemote. Forbis should have sold the name then an there and made some money.
cjstuff @ Jul 24th 2008 1:46PM
Look, the weemote is a TV remote for "wee ones." It's deliberately crippled so that you can restrict, er, shape, the unsupervised TV watching habits of your young'un. We've used one for some years with our kids, and it does the job quite well--or at least it did until my younger boy figured out that you can chord the keys and reach some unexpected channels that way.
Kawaiipikachu @ Jul 24th 2008 8:03PM
Thats why i find it annoying when people trust technology to protect kids with .
Just think of it if theres any chance of adults hacking these things meanwhile these a chance that children can do the very exact thing .
I even heard filters been bypassed that was put on the computer that sooposed to protect the kids meaning those filters will never really protect the kids from hamfull content & a shocked face of the mother after finding out that little Timmy was watching porn all this time after all .
So in the long run ity is better to protect them personally that let technology do a parents job .
looseinthedeuce @ Jul 24th 2008 1:54PM
First, only in the race to be last.
Jon Nelson @ Jul 24th 2008 1:58PM
I upped your rank just because you were dead-last when I read and it cracked me up.
farfisa @ Jul 24th 2008 1:59PM
Hey go easy, can't you tell he's drunk?
davpel @ Jul 24th 2008 2:02PM
We bought my son one of the Weemotes years ago and it was really great for toddlers. I could restrict him to just the "kids" channels (PBS, Nick, etc), and he loved being able to turn on the satellite and TV without mommy and daddy having to do it for him. Given that half of the adults in my family can't operate my home theater setup, I always thought this was a really nice product.
farfisa @ Jul 24th 2008 2:03PM
Yeah, THAT's when the financial troubles started.
Actually, though, the product would be great for my kids. I hate having to be around to change the channel.
johnzilla @ Jul 24th 2008 2:17PM
Don't use the TV as a babysitter for your kids. Problem solved.
farfisa @ Jul 24th 2008 2:29PM
You know that was the joke, right?
johnzilla @ Jul 24th 2008 3:06PM
Hard to tell. No smiley, no joke. :)
farfisa @ Jul 24th 2008 3:12PM
Hmm, yeah. I don't get too many laughs when I bring the baby monitor into the casino either...
Griff @ Jul 24th 2008 2:12PM
I just checked ebay. There are a few listings for the WeeMote. cheapest is $10 with free shipping, but GET THIS!
Buy one at $10, and you get a second free!!!! Who wouldnt want 2!?!
Ian @ Jul 24th 2008 2:15PM
NEWBS: the weemote predates the Wii by several years. It is a remote for kids.
adam.plante @ Jul 24th 2008 5:06PM
your not very smart are you? no one said it dident.
NoAndThen @ Jul 24th 2008 9:31PM
@adam: I'd really argue YOU'RE not the smart one. He DIDN'T say anyone did, he was addressing the newbs, as evidenced by the first five letters of the post.
edward @ Jul 24th 2008 2:21PM
I'm sure if you search hard enough you can find a nintendo rep recorded saying the term Wiimote, the amount of text those guys put out the has gotta be, either on a nintendo forum with a member who gets a paycheck from nintendo or a third party manual or game that is liscenced by nintendo.
jabber @ Jul 24th 2008 2:23PM
Hey Fenway, pass the tardy sauce...
ShadowKain @ Jul 24th 2008 2:43PM
Did someone photoshop the frown onto that face on the remote? XD
7on @ Jul 24th 2008 3:24PM
badly
ShadowKain @ Jul 24th 2008 2:47PM
All it takes is one person to put it on my sofa, and it will disapear into the ass cracks of my furniture forever...
Garth Bock @ Jul 24th 2008 2:50PM
" and let him move on to something called, oh, let's say, the X Bocks, a new microbrewery project." Sorry there are alot of us Bock's out there and alot of Bock Beer's so we would be happy to drink a case and go over to his new factory and help "dilute his brand".
Garth Bock