Thursday, 21 August 2008

Wiimote Violated Our Patents, Says Hillcrest

Hillcrest Labs, a company that makes and sells media systems to consumer electronics companies, has filed suit against Nintendo.

In the lawsuit filed with International Trade Commission, which has the power to bar products from the United States if they are made with infringed technology, Hillcrest alleges Nintendo of infringing four of its patents to make the top-selling Wii game console.

Hillcrest claims that the Wii remote infringes on U.S. Patent Nos. 7,158,118, 7,262,760, and 7,414,611, while the Wii television interface infringes on its U.S. Patent No. 7,139,983. The company also filed a similar lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Maryland.

"While Hillcrest Labs has a great deal of respect for Nintendo and the Wii, Hillcrest Labs believes that Nintendo is in clear violation of its patents and has taken this action to protect its intellectual property rights," Hillcrest Labs said in a statement.

Hillcrest is asking the International Trade Commission to stop the import of Wii consoles into the U.S., and is requesting that the U.S. District Court award unspecified monetary damages.