Nintendo has been ordered to pay $10 million in a Wii lawsuit
Japanese video-game giant Nintendo was ordered by a Texas court on Thursday to pay out $10 million in a patent lawsuit filed by iLife Technologies.
The patent in question: a motion-sensing patent from iLife Technologies related to medical applications.
iLife alleged - and a Texas jury agreed - that Nintendo misappropriated iLife's patented technology for use in the Nintendo Wii game console. Specifically, iLife alleged that Nintendo's Wii remote controls - motion controllers - were infringing on iLife's patent.
The suit was filed over three years ago, and a jury came to a conclusion this week. Nintendo tells Rolling Stone that it plans to appeal the ruling.
Here's the full statement Nintendo issued following the ruling:
"On Aug. 31, 2017, a jury in Texas found that certain Wii and Wii U video game systems and software bundles infringed a patent belonging to iLife Technologies Inc. related to detecting if a person has fallen down. The jury awarded iLife $10 million in damages. Nintendo disagrees with the decision, as Nintendo does not infringe iLife's patent and the patent is invalid. Nintendo looks forward to raising those issues with the district court and with the court of appeals."
The original suit filed by iLife sought $144 million - $4 for every one of the 36 million Nintnedo Wii units sold before iLife filed its suit. Nintendo went on to sell over 100 million Wii units.
Should Nintendo lose the appeal and the Texas jury's decision stands, Nintendo will pay $10 million to iLife Technologies - or, approximately $0.27 for each of the 36 million Wii consoles sold prior to the lawsuit's filing.