Nintendo Sued, Faces Possible Sales Ban On All Wii Units

Nintendo is being sued by Philips in Delaware, and the crux of the case may really hit hard. There are two patents in question, and both relate to what makes a Wii so great: motion detection. If successful in this suit, Philips may deal a deft body shot right to Nintendo as they're trying to get up off the canvas.

The first patent references a "virtual body control device", such as that which allows your on-screen avatar to move as you do. If that sounds a little too "Kinect" to be "Nintendo", the next one hits a bit harder.

A patent that calls to a "User interface system based on pointing device" could be a major blow to the Wii remote, wherein you use it to point at things on-screen to select, etc. It is also a big part of how your avatar knows what to do, sensing the controller to make the on-screen action happen.

Philips is seeking a sales injunction, which could halt sales of all Wii consoles in the United States. They also want a jury trial, apparently skipping mediation altogether. Philips is asking for back damages, a tripling of all damages, and both pre and post judgement interest on those damages.

It's unclear if Philips has tried to hash this out with Nintendo before this filing, but they are definitely going for a big pay-day. The lawsuit was filed today, and no motions have yet been filed.

Source: Scribd

Via: EuroGamer