Nintendo Facing Controller Ban Due to Patent Suit, Anascape Still Owed $21 Million
In the initial ruling, Nintendo was found to have violated Anascape patents relating to analog sticks in its GameCube, WaveBird, and Wii Classic controllers, and was ordered to pay $21 million.
However, Nintendo is still appealing the overall ruling to the Federal Circuit court.
Anascape has since filed for a motion to stop retail sales of the above Nintendo controllers, with the order expected to go through today. If approved, that ban will be suspended while Nintendo appeals the case.
According to Bloomberg, Anascape claims Nintendo's controllers have "clogged the channel" that would allow it to begin selling controllers. Both Sony and Microsoft were named in the initial lawsuit, and both settled out-of-court for undisclosed sums in May.
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Pig Venus
replyAnascape appears to me to be a bunch of patent gobbling greedy ba$tards. Here is a link for the patents "infringed": http://www.patentarcade.com/2008/06/case-update-anascape-v-nintendo.html
You can go here to check them: http://www.google.com/patents
Most of them apply for buttons, but more than half don't even seem to apply to the Nintendo controllers at all, but more to remotes (as for TVs).
As for Anascape's claim that Nintendo's controllers have "clogged the channel"..... yeah, obviously, look at all the Wavebirds Nintendo is selling. Wireless GameCube controllers (that don't suck) is an untapped market -- just look at how much Wavebirds are going for on eBay! "Clogged the market" indeed!! What a crock!
Nintendo should counter sue these idiots just for their attempt to basically blackmail all the console manufacturers. Only reason other companies paid off was probably because it was cheaper than the court costs and not worth the hassle. It certainly couldn't have been the patents listed -- they have very little similarity to a console controller!
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I checked a couple of these out with your link and it's funny, but if you look at the drawings for Patent# 6102802, which was filed in 1997. You see pictures in their drawings of an SNES and N64 controllers.
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