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Interactive Exercise Company Sues Nintendo For Patent Infringement
isometric writes with this excerpt from Gamasutra:
"IA Labs is accusing Nintendo of infringing on two separate IA Labs patents through technology used in the Nintendo Wii, Wii Fit, Wii Fit Plus, the Wii Balance Board, Wii Remote, Wii Wheel, Wii MotionPlus, Wii Nunchuck and Wii Zapper. ... The patents in question are 'Computer interactive isometric exercise system and method for operatively interconnecting the exercise system to a computer system for use as a peripheral' and 'Force measurement system for an isometric exercise device.' The claim said that IA Labs had been in contact with Nintendo during 2007-2008, discussing possible overlaps of IA Labs and Nintendo patents. Emails between IA Labs and Nintendo showed that IA Labs wanted to license its technology to Nintendo. IA Labs was also in talks with Nintendo about a product called Sqweeze, a controller for Wii and PC that's meant to increase physical activity when gaming."
Uh, some of these gadgets and games have been out for 2-3+ years already under the Nintendo name and IA Labs is just now figuring out there could, potentially, maybe, a-slight-possibility, perhaps, kind-of, sort-of be a copyright infringement?
Regardless of IA Labs 'intent' to manufacture the Squeeze; I can't believe this holds any water at all as far as a copyright suit is concerned. If anything, I see IA Labs trying to get into profit on the exercise gaming market, not being stifled by it (e.g. Nintendo). Their demo of the Squeeze appeared, when? Circa 2008. Again, competing demo, not an undisclosed, super-duper market changing gaming gadget set to take over the world.
where is the mod tool to mod your stupid ass off of slashdot?