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156 Comments
- retral, on 10/12/2007, -6/+48I, personally, am rooting for Nintendo.
- PhineasPoe, on 10/12/2007, -5/+47Do they really have a case? The picture bears a certain resemblance to the Wiimote but, as far as I can tell, their "mouse" isn't motion sensitive. If, as the article says, it's more about the trigger, is that valid? All controllers have triggers on them and it just makes sense for Nintendo's to have one as well.
If this is a valid case I hope they get what they deserve and I hope Nintendo pays them graciously instead of acting like Sony with the "rumble" case. If it's not valid then I hope they have to pay Nintendo's legal fees as there is too much frivolous litigation and the people who bring those cases to court need to be reprimanded. - spyrochaete, on 10/12/2007, -1/+41Fun fact - Sega has a patent on the concept of scoring "points" for completing achievements in video entertainment products. Good thing they're not patent trolls.
- dankoleary, on 10/12/2007, -1/+34I opened up a live chat right now with Interlinx, and asked them:
"Can I buy a Wiimote from you guys? Your patent says you invented it."
They were not amused. - NikoKun, on 10/12/2007, -3/+34Plus, its a different tech than Interlink's... Interlink's pointer remote, has an infrared light in it, and a camera near the screen picks up where its pointing...
Since there is only 1 infrared light, there no distance detection, and obviously no motion or tilt detection...
The Wiimote has the camera built inside it, and the infrared lights are on the sensor bar, and there are 2 of them, to help detect distance and turn... And the Wiimote also has motion detection and tilt and all that good stuff.
I dont think the case will last long, seeing as these are different enough designs, the patent doesn't really match, and thus no infringment.
Plus who's ever heard of Interlink? they dont do anything with video games, and the use is part of the patents... Maybe they make office presentation pointers... but maybe they just patent things to take money from other companies that create successful ideas. XD - rewquio, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19Man, why can't the USPTO use normal images like every other webpage on the planet? Instead we get this crap that loads in the quicktime plugin and I only get the top 10% of the image. It doesn't even try to load when I try IE. I can't even save it to my desktop easily. Maybe that's the point.
- crilen007, on 10/12/2007, -6/+23I wouldn't say Nintendo innovates anything, they didn't invent IR tracking, and accelerometers... however, they can take a few good inventions and combine them to make one fine product. Which is to say, more than other companies do..
"I, personally, am rooting for Nintendo."
Of course you are, you don't even know who Interlink is, why would you care about them? - xerus, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18So, the guys at interlink basically saw the wiimote and thought "Whoa this thing has a pointer... wait, our technology has a pointing device! Lets get some free money!"
- daridave, on 10/12/2007, -3/+18Nintendo hater 6 months ago:
"meh, motion detection has been on the PC for years."
Nintendo hater 1 month ago:
"meh, SIXAXIS is cool. Pointing is lame".
Nintendo hater today:
"Nintendo copied!!!! I knew they could never invent something this cool !!!"
Bottom line:
Haters will never be happy. - redxii, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15MS was sued because IE has plugins, yet it also made sense that Firefox & others also have plugins because they're browsers too, but MS was the only one sued and forced to change that behavior.
What I'm saying, is any lawsuit is possible with our patent system... - Ehrgeiz, on 10/12/2007, -2/+16I think interlink is the group that can't really do anything so they patent a bunch of stuff that they will never make and can never make then sue when someone does make it. I.E sony and the rumble feature of the dual shock.
Looking at it though I don't think they have a case the wiimote is far different then then mouse they show. - kazuhima, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13Wah wah wah.
never even heard of interlink... - LaueOfficer, on 10/12/2007, -5/+17No, not really, in fact, not at all like that.
- ByteGuerilla, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13Another patent squatted. More time wasted judging a frivolous case.
Sick. of. this. *****. - edrift101, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12The next thing you know - McDonald's will be sueing me for making a ham sandwich at home...
- pogfreak, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11yeah we are long over due for a reevaluation of our copyright and patent system. unfortunately I doubt such reform would grab headlines or votes, so I dont see politicians doing it anytime soon...
- Seidoger, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Everyone have been aware of the Wii-mote for a while and its capabilities.
What is new though is that it is now *popular*.
Time for suing!
This is ridiculous really.. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -5/+15The Wiimote inst a mouse.. its a pointing device.. there is no reason to sue.. NOCASE
- magnusdopus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11As of this article, I will boycott Interlink products Diggers, we need to build a site reporting all these companies that have adopted anti-technology or predatory behavior.
Also, someone should patent the business of patent trolls. Whenever a patent troll sued, they would be sued for violating the 'patent troll' patent. - dracflamloc, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12"I wouldn't say Nintendo innovates anything, they didn't invent IR tracking, and accelerometers... however, they can take a few good inventions and combine them to make one fine product. Which is to say, more than other companies do.."
Funny... Thats almost the definition of innovation...improving on another invention. - RedbeardUH, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Jesus, I never knew Digg had so many lawyers who specialized in patent law...
- Ascus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9At best this seems like a submarine pattent. A trigger on a pointing device? I think its a little obvious. My laser pointer and my Smith&Wesson both have one.
- jmzook, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Another example of how broken our patent system is.
- Rayor, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9"It's a joke, asshat."
Well it's apparently a ***** one if you're getting dugg down. - Ehrgeiz, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9Those that can(nintendo), do. Those who can't(interlink), sue.
- Aquinas315, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7FTA:
Interlink said that because of the alleged infringement, it has suffered damages including loss of royalties and reduced sales and profits. The company is seeking a restraining order against the sale of Nintendo’s controller as well as three times the assessed damages including interest. Reimbursement of legal fees is also being pursued.
Reduced sales and profits? They make pointers for Powerpoint/Keynote presentations. I'm sure everyone is just hopping up and down to get a Wii to run Powerpoint on it!!! - RedbeardUH, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7you're a terrible law student....as someone mentioned before....you wait until you can profit from the suit before you actually sue
- Fitzavig, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Interlink is also claiming they lost sales. Well, good news there guys, you just lost any potential sales you could have gotten from me.
This could've been a positive for them. Using a well-known product to help endorse theirs. It's like free publicity without all the negative connotations this has (makes them seem like lawsuit-mongering fellows imo). But no, they had to sue. - Ethanael, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7"Interlink said that because of the alleged infringement, it has suffered damages including loss of royalties and reduced sales and profits."
I've never heard of Interlink and I don't see how this infringes on any of their sales... That's like my company that is developing mouses, sues another company for developing mouses. Hey, if I can design and make the functionality of it better and it happens to sell well, that's business.
This is a stupid ploy to create wealth and I hope Nintendo walks away with their head up on this. - Elranzer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Everyone wants a piece now that the Wii is popular.
They have no case. Trigger buttons have existed on pointing devices before. Many exist on presentation-style pointing devices (infrared mice with trigger) for PowerPoint, etc.
I hope Nintendo buries them. - mbthompson, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9From the article:
"Interlink said that because of the alleged infringement, it has suffered damages including loss of royalties and reduced sales and profits. The company is seeking a restraining order against the sale of Nintendo’s controller as well as three times the assessed damages including interest. Reimbursement of legal fees is also being pursued."
How absolutely obnoxious. Damaged sales? Has anyone ever even heard of Interlink before this suit? Three times the damages? Sounds like they're trying to break even through this suit since they couldn't make a go of it as a legitimate company. I hate how our society is so litigious. - djSyndrome, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Looks like these guys really need the money. Check out their financials (you'll need Flash to view them):
http://www.interlinkelectronics.com/investors/financialtables.html
They haven't turned a profit in nine quarters. In fact, they're hemorrhaging money: they lost over 3.6 million dollars last quarter alone. - djSyndrome, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7It's not that Sony was sued, it's that they refused to pay up. The customers suffered in the end - the SIXAXIS has no vibration not because Sony couldn't make it work, but because they didn't want to pay Immersion.
- velvet396, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6lol, ***** priceless. the patent troll patent.
- gamemaker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6So, basically, they have patented the idea of a button.
Asshats. If there was ever an application that showed US patent laws need to be ripped up and re-written from scratch, this it it. - demonicume, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8OH GOD DAMN... this is ridiculous. we've only known about the Wiimote and how it works for like a year. this case is *****. i hope they get slapped with a huge fine. oh, oh... screw it.
- FishyJoe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Any product that becomes successful gets sued for patent infringement. The patent office has granted patents that are far too broad and the legal system must honor them. The system really loves to punish success.
- LouisC, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6They didn't make the controller on their own. They got patent rights from the makers of the Gyration mouse (which by the way also has a trigger) and built the controller on that.
But no, they're most likely not violating that patent. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I think this here is the device that is the reason. Not sure though, I could be wrong.
http://www.interlinkelectronics.com/index.php?id=Mzk0 - SublimeRuin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Ridiculous!!! - No Case here...What about SuperScope 6...IT had a trigger AND a pointer...
- dcmjzero, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4prior art? how about the n64 controller from 1996? it had a "trigger."
- Fizzle, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5@Ehrgiez
"I think interlink is the group that can't really do anything so they patent a bunch of stuff that they will never make and can never make then sue when someone does make it. I.E sony and the rumble feature of the dual shock."
Unlike internlink, the company that has a patent on rumble technology is quite established and very successful. Immersion Corp has made or licensed the product it sued sony over. I normally wouldn't speak up, but Immersion is a very good company. - crilen007, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I've delt with product development and patent issues.. you let the product get popular so you can sue for more.
Sueing when it's not even out yet is silly.
A) you don't really know what it is for sure.
B) Whats the point if you get $0 from it? Protecting Nintendo? No. - sgbooth, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Use patentreader.com and get the pdf version (free)
- bleutuna, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Not to be a bitch, but Nintendo didn't develop the PowerGlove. Mattel did.
This particular patent is horsecrap, but I just felt the need to rectify that mistake. Mattel = PowerGlove, not Nintendo. - r00t3r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Actually a patent is only good for 20 years.
Whether or not you use it or if it is 10 or even 100 years old is irrelevant. - velvet396, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4the product is sold in US territory...
- TonySki, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4they want a restraining order on the sale of the wiimotes?
they're hard enough to find as is! - staticneuron, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5"Immersion Corp has made or licensed the product it sued sony over. I normally wouldn't speak up, but Immersion is a very good company."
The patent was for a gaming controller (devoid of any size or shape requirements) that had two motors. That is how they were able to sue both MS and Sony. Immersion may be a good company but their lawsuit over the rumble still is a clear case of patent squatting.
I hope nintendo win's this one because I am tired of companies trying stuff like this... but at the same token if they lose maybe it will be an eye opener to quite a few gamers out there who think sony's wrong for fighting Immersion. It can only get worse if this is allowed to continue. - velvet396, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@dankoleary
screenshot? their response would be a hilarious read -
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