Today, the US Appeals Court upheld the US Patent and Trademark Office’s decision to strike down a patent on manufacturing technology asserted against Nintendo my Motion Games LLC in 2012. According to Nintendo, the court order means there are no more patent claims in the lawsuit filed in Texas over this patent.
Motion Games’ patent described “vision target based assembly,” and described cameras and systems that tracked assembly-line components. In 2012, the company claimed the Wii, its remotes, and sensor bars and the 3DS’ camera and augmented reality cards all violated the patent. Tuesday’s ruling leaves the lawsuit without a leg to stand on, and grants Nintendo yet another victory in a seemingly unending spree of patent battles.
“We are very pleased with the court’s confirmation that Motion Games’ patent is invalid and never should have been granted,” said Ajay Singh, director of litigation and compliance at Nintendo of America. “Litigation tactics cannot save an invalid patent, and such attempts only underscore the need for patent reform that reduces unnecessary burdens on defendants. Nintendo has a long history of developing innovative products, and will continue to vigorously defend those products from patent lawsuits.”
Singh’s comments on patent reform help cast this case as another example of the United States struggling to deal with so-called patent trolls, who create or take ownership over vaguely worded patents in order to sue companies who create similar prodcuts.