Nintendo facing patent lawsuit over DS

[ferret]

Nintendo facing patent lawsuit over DS

Illinois man claims to have touched first.

By Ben Silverman
Thanks to its innovative design and wealth of fantastic games, the Nintendo DS has scrambled to the top of the handheld gaming war, making the hardware wizards at Nintendo the darlings of the games industry.
But what if they don't hold the patent on the touchy tech?
As reported by video game blog Gamepolitics, John R. Martin has filed a complaint alleging that he owns the patent on the system's lauded touch screen. While the patent was updated in August of 2005 -- a full six months after Nintendo launched the DS -- it was originally filed a decade earlier in 1995.
The patent seems to cover the key input ingredient of Nintendo's popular handheld, citing "an improved method of operating a touch screen on a CRT or ICD computer screen [that] uses finger release as input registering" in "an electronic game device system [which] is switchable between an amusement mode and a gaming or gambling mode and is useful for vehicles such as airplanes or boats..."Sounds a little like the DS to us, minus the gambling bit.



Nintendo, however, doesn't see the connection -- the company has responded by requesting that the entire suit be summarily dismissed.
This isn't Nintendo's first scrape with patent infringement. Earlier this year the company coughed up $21 million to tech company Anascape over several Nintendo game controllers, including their famous Wavebird, widely considered the first legitimate wireless game controller.

Nintendo facing patent lawsuit over DS - Video Game Feature - Yahoo! Video Games

sheesh people are just so greedy now that they are trying to sue nintendo over everything >.>

[wolven]

What's next, the Wii itself?

[slipknot1564]

Originally Posted by wolven

What's next, the Wii itself?

Exactly.....

[cornyjohn]

I think the Anascape suit really showed people that it's possible to milk these big companies for a lot of money with little proof.

Tell me, why wouldn't you sue in 2005 when the DS came out, instead of waiting until 2008, suspiciously close to Anascape's recent win over Nintendo's controller suit?

People are getting greedy.

[Shreder108]

Its really weird that they would sue in 2008 instead of 2005 WTF!!??

[Hydrallics]

...either this company is lying or Nintendo's full of thieves...i don't put anything past big corporations...however, thats why the federal governments have patents is just for this reason...so the truth will be told!! >..<

[Agravain3]

nintendo is a multi million dollar company.


this guy wont even touch them.

[DJ Lantis]

Alright if we want to talk about patent infringement. How come everyone targets the still high selling Nintendo gear? And why didn't this guy come forward back in 2005 instead of waiting 3 years? It's just a way for people to get a peice of the gaming pie without working for them.

[wolven]

Originally Posted by cornyjohn

I think the Anascape suit really showed people that it's possible to milk these big companies for a lot of money with little proof.

Tell me, why wouldn't you sue in 2005 when the DS came out, instead of waiting until 2008, suspiciously close to Anascape's recent win over Nintendo's controller suit?

People are getting greedy.

Exactly what I was thinking. Plus, when the DS is selling very well.

[Fox The Landmaster KING!]

he just wants money everything is going up so he needs some extra cash HES A LIER