Nintendo prevails in latest 3DS patent scuffle
The International Trade Commission has found in favor of Nintendo in a case involving three companies claiming the gaming giant infringed on their patents with the creation of the Nintendo DS and 3DS handhelds.
In 2012, Technology Properties Limited LLC, Phoenix Digital Solutions LLC and Patriot Scientific Corporation - three companies specializing in patent licensing - filed suit against Nintendo, claiming that the company had infringed on a high-efficiency processor patent in the creation of its most recent handhelds. After nearly two years in court, Nintendo has emerged victorious.
"We are very pleased with the commission's determination, which confirmed the judge's finding that Nintendo's products do not infringe the asserted patent," said Nintendo of America vice president Richard Medway in a statement trumpeting the company's victory. "Nintendo's track record demonstrates that we vigorously defend patent lawsuits, including cases in the ITC, when we believe we have not infringed another party's patent. Nintendo continues to develop unique and innovative products while respecting the intellectual property rights of others."
That track record Medway mentions does indeed demonstrate that Nintendo is an ardent defender of its intellectual property rights, though the company's history in the courtroom is far from spotless. Less than a year ago, Nintendo was ordered to pay $30.2 million for infringing on a 3D display patent held by Seijiro Tomita.
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Nintendo Prevails in ITC Case Involving Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo Systems Do Not Infringe
REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nintendo has won a patent infringement case at the International Trade Commission. The case was brought by Technology Properties Limited LLC, Phoenix Digital Solutions LLC and Patriot Scientific Corporation, all of which are patent-licensing companies. The commission confirmed that the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DSi systems do not infringe the asserted patent.
"We are very pleased with the commission's determination, which confirmed the judge's finding that Nintendo's products do not infringe the asserted patent," said Richard Medway, Nintendo of America's vice president and deputy general counsel. "Nintendo's track record demonstrates that we vigorously defend patent lawsuits, including cases in the ITC, when we believe we have not infringed another party's patent. Nintendo continues to develop unique and innovative products while respecting the intellectual property rights of others."
For more information about Nintendo 3DS, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.
About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii U™ and Wii™ home consoles, and Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ families of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 4.2 billion video games and more than 669 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™, Nintendo GameCube™ and Wii systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hem isphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company's website at http://www.nintendo.com.
