Saturday, January 13th 2007
Fenner Investments sues Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo for infringing on it's joystick patent
Fenner Investments sues Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo for infringing on its joystick
It sounds too nonsensical to be true, but Texas-based Fenner Investments sued all three console manufacturers for infringing their copyright on a "low-voltage joystick port interface" (patent number 6,297,751). The patent basically states:
Source:
Gamasutra
It sounds too nonsensical to be true, but Texas-based Fenner Investments sued all three console manufacturers for infringing their copyright on a "low-voltage joystick port interface" (patent number 6,297,751). The patent basically states:
The joystick port interface according the present invention is a low power port which interfaces a typical 5 Volt joystick peripheral device with a lower power computer port. The low-voltage joystick port interface includes a bidirectional buffer circuit and a pulse generator which, together, generate a digital pulse signal, representing a joystick coordinate position, based on an input analog measurement signal.If Fenner wins the lawsuits, then they will succeed in banning all three consoles from market, as they are seeking damages and an injunction against the consoles.
29 Comments on Fenner Investments sues Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo for infringing on it's joystick patent
SonyMSNintendo: "well too bad, it doesnt infringe on what you patented."
Fenner: "well Im gonna sue you."
SonyMSNintendo: "Go ahead, if you think you will win."
I can honestly say this is stupid bullshit. Especially if they want to halt all three consoles, which the governments will never let happen.
As stupid and smilar would be Ford to sue Harley-Davidson for a petrol engine vehicle on rubber wheels..
Then you find in the future, all the gaming console companies combine >_>...
S.N.M!!!
dumbasses... theyre way out of theyre league...:shadedshu
This is ridiculous. They obtained the patent in 2001 on technology that's been in use since the 80s. How about they go to the fiscal hell that I'm sure MS/Sony/Nintendo want them in?
Say what you like about companies like MS, Sony and Apple - whatever shady business practices and cynical marketing tactics they emply that we may not care for, in the grand scheme of things they came to prominence because they innovated and brought original and revolutionary products to market at one stage or another and THAT will be their legacy. You will always get people who want a piece of that without doing the work.