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Thread: No More Playstation?

  1. #1
    God/dess doc-catfish's Avatar
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    Default No More Playstation?

    Put your hands up and step away from the Dual Shock controller!

    Seems that Sony got into a little patent infringment trouble.

    http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=620540

    SAN JOSE, Calif. Mar 28, 2005 — A judge has ordered Sony Corp. to pay $90.7 million to a company that develops technology that enhances video game realism but immediately stayed an order that would halt U.S. sales of Sony's popular PlayStation consoles.

    San Jose-based Immersion Corp. sued Sony in 2002, saying the Japanese company violated two of its patents, using them to create tactile feedback features.

    A federal jury in Oakland decided in favor of Immersion in September and ordered Sony to pay $82 million in damages.


    On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken affirmed the decision and tacked on $8.7 million in interest. She also ordered the sales ban but granted Sony an immediate stay pending the company's expected appeal.

    Sony has already paid Immersion $7 million in compulsory license payments ordered by the court and will continue to do so each quarter, based on sales of infringing products, until there is a reversal or settlement.

    A Tokyo-based Sony official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the company plans to appeal. He declined to give more details because the lawsuit is pending.

    "We have always believed, and continue to believe, in the strength of our intellectual property," Immersion Chief Executive Victor Viegas said Monday. "We remain confident of our position in the appeals process."
    Former SCJ now in rehab.

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    Default Re: No More Playstation?

    I heard about that, it's very interesting. If Immersion Corp.'s claims are valid, then 90M is pretty representative of what they should recieve. The thing is that with a thing like this the only way we could make a sound judgement on the validity of these claims is to do a comprehensive review of everything related to Sony's development of the Dualshock controller.

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    God/dess Deogol's Avatar
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    Default Re: No More Playstation?

    Ack. There are plenty of things sold in Asia that don't make it to the US. The goofy patent system is a reason why. I doubt they will stop selling them after paying up, but they may be more hesitant to bring new toys to the country. The Asian economy is picking up such that the puny US market (250,000,000 compared to 1,000,000,000) may not be worth it.

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    Default Re: No More Playstation?

    ^ But no one in that market of 2.5 billion people has the PPP that the 300 million people in the US do. That's what it's all about.

    $90M is nothing to Sony. They should have just paid the claim--especially since it's probably not the only patent violation charge they're facing.
    Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality, the costs become prohibitive.

    William F. Buckley, Jr.

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    God/dess Deogol's Avatar
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    Default Re: No More Playstation?

    ^^ They are digging in their portfolio for the next poor sop they are going to sue to make the money back.

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