Poor Nintendo. Hit with controversy over their attempt to keep access to their Wii Speak Channel only to owners of brand-new peripherals, they’ve also been slapped with yet another lawsuit over alleged patent infringements by the WiiMote and Wii motion-sensing control.
Motiva LLC a “small Ohio technology company” according to court papers, filed a patent in July 2004 for a “Human Movement Measurement System”: a handheld tracking device and base station that “can be used to create an interactive gaming experience”. Mark Lanier, counsel for Motiva said: “Using someone else’s technology without permission is theft. Nintendo makes video games where you get to play a thief, but that doesn’t give them the right to be one.” Meow.
Nintendo have been slapped left and right this year with patent suits. In May, courts ruled it had to pay $21 million to Anascape Ltd for patent infringements on its GameCube, Wavebird and Classic Wii gamepads. And in August, Nintendo was hit by another suit from Hillcrest Laboratories.
