Submitted to Propeller by traveler.com.br and to Digg by SquareEnix 7/8/2008
In itself, this isn’t earth shattering news. Patent infringement lawsuits are commonplace, particularly in the gaming industry.
What makes this one so interesting is the clear “patent troll” nature of this lawsuit. It is a perfect example of an issue that industry insiders face daily, but of which the public is largely unaware. In this suit, John R. Martin from Rockford, Illinois, claims that Nintendo has infringed on a patent he submitted years ago which detailed an “electronic game device” with touch capabilities and multiple displays.
Here is the image attached to his patent. Does this look like a Nintendo DS to you?
Worse yet, his patent was filed AFTER the Nintendo DS came out. Clearly, this is a roadblock that most would not even consider tackling, but in a world where being a nuisance can often result in a consolation payment, Martin has decided to push forward.
There are those who hate big business, but even the biggest Nintendo-haters in the world can see that this lawsuit is unfair. The problem is that companies such as Nintendo must fight against this type of exploitation every day.
Original Description:
Nintendo has been hit with yet another patent infringement lawsuit, this time from a man claiming that his patent, filed in 2005, was infringed by Nintendo’s DS, released 2004.
1 Comment
*looks at patent diagram… looks at his DS*
AHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Yeah, that might be reminiscent of a computational device from the late 60’s… where it took up the best part of a room.
Not something that you can hold in your hand.