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BLOG: The Game Guy: Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony sued over their game controllers [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
[December 01, 2009]

BLOG: The Game Guy: Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony sued over their game controllers [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]


(St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Dec. 1--Looks like there might be a Grinch coming down from the north, and it aims to relieve three high-profile game console manufacturers of some holiday cheer.

A lawsuit recently filed by a Canadian company claims Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony are using technology in their video game controllers that doesn't belong to them.

Bloomberg News and the San Jose Mercury News are reporting that Eleven Engineering Inc. [http://www.elevenengineering.com/home/], a maker of microprocessors for home entertainment systems, has claimed the controllers for the Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation 3 game systems incorporate wireless features patented by the company, and that the three game companies are using the technology without permission.



At issue are DualShock [http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3/Accessories/SCPH-98050] and Sixaxis [http://www.us.playstation.com/ps3/accessories/scph-98040] controllers used with PlayStation 3, the wireless controller with Xbox [http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x/xbox360wirelesscontroller/default.htm], and the Wii remote and Wii balance board [http://www.nintendo.com/wii/what/accessories]. Eleven Engineering insists that Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony were aware of the patent violations but "continued to infringe the asserted patents in an objectively reckless manner," the Edmonton-based firm is said to have stated in its complaint.

The patents cited are for remote frequency and wireless game controllers, and were issued in 2001, 2002 and 2004. Eleven Engineering seeks cash compensation and hopes to enjoin the big three game companies from further patent infringement.


About that cash compensation, Game Guy is wondering what Eleven's magic number will be. Because whether the big three agree to pay, or just pay for Eleven to go away, this could turn out to be a very merry Christmas for some in the province of Alberta.

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Copyright (c) 2009, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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