AfterDawn: News

Another patent troll sues Nintendo over Wii remote

Patent troll UltimatePointer, maker of the Upoint laser-pointer presentation remote, has sued Nintendo, GameStop, Best Buy and Sears over alleged patent infringement.

The company says it owns the patent for "Easily Deployable Interactive Direct-Pointing System and Presentation Control System and Calibration Method."



Nintendo "directly infringed the patent with the unauthorized selling of its Wii remote hardware," says the company.

The retailers, by association of selling the Wii remote, infringed as well, explains UltimatePointer.

While looking for monetary damages, the company also wants Nintendo to pay its court costs.

It is important to note that UltimatePointer's Upoint is currently vaporware, and is not even up for sale.

(Pic via Rant)



Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 30 Sep 2011 0:22

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• 16 comments

• xaznboitx

  why do other companies wait til few yrs later to sue? might as well wait til wiiu comes out and sue them for more money geeze.
  
  why isn't other store getting sued as well since they are selling the wiimote as well not just the sears and bestbuy selling them.
  

  30.9.2011 02:17 #1

• KillerBug

  There is a big issue here...completely ignoring that their patent is for vaporware, and that the patent holds all the validity that would belong to a patent filed by HG Wells for the concept of a time machine, there is still a huge problem. The WiiMote isn't easy to setup as a presentation control system.
  

  
  

  30.9.2011 03:41 #2

• plutonash

  So I guess there not going to sue Sony for the ps3 move b/c lack of sales...

  30.9.2011 10:17 #3

• xaznboitx

  Originally posted by plutonash: So I guess there not going to sue Sony for the ps3 move b/c lack of sales... sony might as well sue ms because of kniect... remember that sony created eyetoy first than ms back in 2000 2001.why is this company going after nintendo? there's a 3rd party company that has a knock off hardware plug in and play.
  
  speaking of going after companies, they should sue Nyko for creating wii remote as well.
  

  30.9.2011 13:24 #4

• Zoo_Look

  And not to mention all the users who sell their Nintendo stuff on after use...
  

  30.9.2011 15:20 #5

• KillerBug

  Originally posted by Zoo_Look: And not to mention all the users who sell their Nintendo stuff on after use... And really, shouldn't they also sue all the major TV networks who sold advertising for the Wii?
  

  
  

  30.9.2011 18:12 #6

• Zoo_Look

  Sue us for talking about it?
  

  30.9.2011 18:13 #7

• KillerBug

  ...And then sue themselves for talking about it.

  30.9.2011 23:36 #8

• ddp

  not me as i don't have 1.
  

  30.9.2011 23:45 #9

• luigirez1

  Originally posted by ddp: not me as i don't have 1. But you are talking about it :P

  1.10.2011 02:27 #10

• MrPuffin

  Originally posted by ddp: not me as i don't have 1. but your "reading" about it so you must be sued

  1.10.2011 02:56 #11

• leglessoz

  Are you sure this company isn't owned by Apple? Suing is all it knows how to do these days.

  1.10.2011 10:01 #12

• Zoo_Look

  Wont be long till the company with the edible fruit with varieties called 'Granny Smith' and 'Braeburn' will sue God for using their corporate name in the Bible... He may have used it first, but he didn't copyright it!
  

  1.10.2011 10:15 #13

• Xplorer4

  Originally posted by KillerBug: The WiiMote isn't easy to setup as a presentation control system.
  I suspect your looking at this in the form of power point presentations, but I suspect, the plaintiff here will argue that gaming in itself is a presentation.
  
  
  Originally posted by xaznboitx: Originally posted by plutonash: So I guess there not going to sue Sony for the ps3 move b/c lack of sales... sony might as well sue ms because of kniect... remember that sony created eyetoy first than ms back in 2000 2001.why is this company going after nintendo? there's a 3rd party company that has a knock off hardware plug in and play.
  
  speaking of going after companies, they should sue Nyko for creating wii remote as well.
  The EyeToy can not even begin to compare to the Wii,Kinect or Move. It was pretty much just a web cam. As for the move and the connect, the Move is more like the Wii, requiring the user to hold a "wand" in there hand. The Kinect, on the other hand, does not utilize a hand held controller of any sort. Furthermore the type of cameras used in the Move are different then the Kinect. So really sony would have no leg to stand on there. Then Sony would have to prove M$ is using the same or some of the same code to perform the same thing. Considering the different types of cameras, it seems unlikely Sony could win this argument either. If any of the gaming companies were to sue the other, I would guess Nintendo would have the best chance of suing Sony but even that would likley fail since Sony uses a camera and the Wii does not.
  

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  1.10.2011 14:45 #14

• ChappyTTV

  From the wording of that vague patent, they should also be suing every single maker of TV and any related type of remote control devices.
  Hell, every single type of pointing device from my remote car starter to the most advanced electronic calibration device is an "Easily Deployable Interactive Direct-Pointing System and Presentation Control System and Calibration Method." is it not?
  Even my finger is an "Easily deployable interactive direct-pointing and presentation control system...", as I deploy my middle finger, direct(ly)-pointing straight up, and present it directly at these assholes...
  

  2.10.2011 00:44 #15

• leglessoz

  Are you telling me that your car remote needs to be pointed directly at your car for it to work? Very odd! I suspect it's more likely that it just needs to be in the vicinity somewhere.

  2.10.2011 05:19 #16