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Nintendo Ordered to Pay Inventor US$30 Million for Infringement
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
U.S. Federal Court found in favor of former Sony Corporation employee and inventor Seijiro Tomita against Nintendo for US$30.2 million on Wednesday. Tomita claimed Nintendo infringed on his patent for 3-D technology that does not require glasses, and that Nintendo used this technology in the development of the Nintendo 3DS handheld system. Tomita had met with Nintendo officials in 2003.
Tomita sued Nintendo and its U.S. branch in 2011. The trial was held in U.S. District Court in Manhattan before a jury. Nintendo of America provided the following statement regarding the court's decision:
A jury awarded $30.2 million in damages to Tomita Technologies in a patent infringement lawsuit brought by Tomita against Nintendo. The Tomita patent did not relate to the 3D games playable on the Nintendo 3DS. The trial was held in U.S. District Court in New York before Judge Jed Rakoff.Nintendo is confident that the result will be set aside. The jury's verdict will not impact Nintendo's continued sales in the United States of its highly acclaimed line of video game hardware, software and accessories, including the Nintendo 3DS. Nintendo has a long history of developing innovative products while respecting the intellectual property rights of others.
