Nintendo, Sony sued over wireless gamepads
updated 02:35 pm EST, Mon January 14, 2008
Nintendo and Sony Pad Suit
Both Nintendo and Sony have been sued over some of the technology that forms the backbone of their controllers, according to a new complaint filed against them and reported by Ars Technica. Copper Innovation Group alleges that the two game system makers are violating a patent which sends an identifier along with the wireless signal between a handheld controller and a host device. Nintendo's Wii remote and Sony's SIXAXIS both infringe on the patent by beaming unique info about each controller along with game commands, according to the lawsuit.
The suit was filed in late December and asks for a permanent halt to sales of the controllers as well as damages; although Microsoft uses similar technology for the Xbox 360 to identify its wireless gamepads, it has not been named in the lawsuit. Neither Nintendo nor Sony has commented on the complaint or are yet known to have responded privately to Copper's formal argument, which may also lead to a settlement or royalty payments.
