Nintendo Loses Patent Infringement Lawsuit
In this day and age it’s becoming increasingly difficult to develop something without getting attacked with claims of patent infringement. Nintendo is no stranger to these kinds of claims, with numerous lawsuits popping up all the time whenever they produce something new. The 3DS’s 3D screen was at the forefront of such a battle, but this time things did not go Nintendo’s way.
Seijiro Tomita sued the company back in 2011 for infringing on his 2008 patent to provide 3D without using 3D glasses. Nintendo made the argument that they did not use key aspects of his patent in the 3DS, but it appears that the jury didn’t believe them. Nintendo lost the case, and was ordered to pay $30.2 million in compensatory damages.
Will this affect the 3DS’s sales? According to Nintendo, “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.” In other words, you don’t have to worry about the 3DS disappearing from store shelves. Just don’t expect to see a price drop anytime soon, if I had to guess.
