14 DAY TRIAL // Philips has filed a lawsuit against Nintendo, claiming some patent infringement related to the company's Wii U console and its accessories.
The lawsuit claims the infringement of Philips' Virtual Body Control Device and User Interface System Based on Pointing Device patents, an issue of which Philips says Nintendo was aware of since it was informed in December 2011, apparently missing the chance to resolve the issue before it became a legal one.
The technology that "models a user's body in a virtual environment by animating a virtual body to follow the physical movements of the user" seems like a bizarrely generic thing to be able to patent, but, nonetheless, Philips is seeking damages for the infringement, as well as interest, and an injunction against further imports and sales of the Wii U and other likewise infringing products.
As the suit was filed in the US, there is a big chance that Nintendo will try and settle the matter, especially if its lawyers think that Philips has a case, because the Japanese software and hardware giant can't risk a trial that could prevent its console from reaching one of its biggest markets.
Patent disputes have a tendency to be resolved in very long, drawn out and costly trials, as opposed to issues over trademarks or copyrights, and this isn't Nintendo's first such issue. Although its track record shows that it managed to win several disputes in the past, it also lost some, one of which turned out to be particularly costly.
In Fall 2013, Nintendo was ordered to pay one of Sony's former engineers $15 / €11 million in compensation for the use of his 3D imaging patent on the Nintendo 3DS handheld console, which he claims he demoed to the company back in 2003.
The possibility of losing the right to export and sell its consoles on the American market is a risky one indeed for Nintendo, especially since President Satoru Iwata has revealed that the company is currently working on developing the Wii U's successor.
"We are preparing for our next hardware system. In fact, we already have a clear idea to some extent about the direction our next hardware is going to take," Iwata has told investors.
Nintendo has denied the circulating rumors that it will announce a new console at this year's edition of the E3, on the other hand, so we'll have to wait until the company makes any reveals.
Hopefully not too long, since Iwata has mentioned that Nintendo intends to release new consoles and devices on emerging markets over the course of 2015.