A video from the entertainment website IGN News discusses the $30.2 million verdict that a federal jury in New York awarded an inventor on March 13 after finding Nintendo Co. guilty of patent infringement. Reuters reported that 58-year-old former longtime Sony Corp. employee Seijiro Tomita alleged that Nintendo used a technology he developed for its 3DS portable video game console. Tomita’s technology provides 3-D images without the need for 3-D glasses, but Nintendo argued that the 3DS does not use key aspects of Tomita’s patent for a “Stereoscopic image picking up and display system based upon optical axes.”
Tomita presented evidence that he had met with several Nintendo research and development engineers in 2003—seven years before the 3DS was unveiled at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2010 trade show—to show off a prototype of his technology, but lawyers for the electronics company argued that Tomita was one of several potential vendors that it met. Tomita originally sought more than $292 million, or nearly $10 for every 3DS sold. As Daemon Hatfield notes at the end of the video, $30.2 million is equal to about one week of global 3DS sales for Nintendo.
Nintendo plans to appeal the decision. “Nintendo is confident that the result will be set aside,” the company said in a statement. “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. Nintendo has a long history of developing innovative products while respecting the intellectual property rights of others.”
While this case might not be over, it does represent why it is important for inventors to protect their inventions. You can learn more about intellectual property by visiting our website. If you need legal assistance to protect your invention or file a claim against another party that has infringed on your patent, contact our firm at [number] or complete the form on this page to let our Los Angeles patent infringement lawyer review your case.
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