Ohio-based Impulse Technology is suing Microsoft for allegedly infringing on patents it holds for technology that tracks users' movements and lets them play games without a controller.
According to Patent Arcade, eight game makers - including EA, Sega, and Konami - are named as defendants in the suit too. They're also accused of making exercise games, sports titles and others that violate the patents.
Impulse is seeking a permanent injunction, damages, interest, attorneys' fees and costs.
In January Peter Klein, chief financial officer at Microsoft, labelled Kinect the "fastest-selling consumer electronics device in history".
Comments
36 comments so far...
metallicorphan on 22 Jul '11 said:
christ,Nintendo,SONY and now Microsoft..anyone else~???
Uzi77 on 22 Jul '11 said:
So, someone trying to sue nearly every major games company in one big lawsuit? Yeh, good luck climbing over the mountain of Lawyers defending them. I'm sure you'll win the day...
Kroll_GB on 22 Jul '11 said:
Handy that they only just realised this after MS posted record earnings.
IbanezLewis on 22 Jul '11 said:
How exactly do you copyright some of these things?! I have totally lost faith in humans, being that most of them are thieving bastards... It's total lunacy!
I'm going to copyright sitting on a toilet and excreting excrement. Yeah. You heard!
Absolutely crazy!
gmcb007 on 22 Jul '11 said:
Does it ever end? Why bother trying to get your product released into the mass market when you can just sue a company who actually took the time.
Ref: Scamming for dummies: Volume 1
sleazeboy on 22 Jul '11 said:
I'm betting these patents aren't even technology related, they are probably just conceptual patents created purely for the purpose of trying to sponge money off people who can actually implement and market the idea. Hopefully they will go to court lose and ending paying the legal costs of eight large corporations, which won't be cheap.
dannyhulse on 22 Jul '11 said:
It seems, to me at least, that the Patent more accuratly describes PSMove rather than Kinect, do we know if this company filed suit against Sony?
All in all its a stupid suit the patent is far to vague about how they would go about doing this, in these cases we should probably only grant patents to those that will actually DO something with them,
Before that though I'm going to submit my patent for:
"A Control Device that enables Multi-Dimensional control of a Virtual Object with the use of Tactile Feedback through the medium of a Physical Device"
And I'll sue anyone that makes it!
KMakawa on 22 Jul '11 said:
Exactly my thoughts, and good job they reported it so soon.. I mean it isnt as though kinect hasnt been out long.... LOL!!
Idiotic law case.
CJG on 22 Jul '11 said:
I thought of using the color black for Kinect so MS ows me money, lets sue.
altitude2k on 22 Jul '11 said:
What do you mean, they're not Apple?
KippDynamite on 22 Jul '11 said:
I don't know much about the inner machinations of Kinect, nor what this company had developed and patented. In fact, i know very little about this lawsuit at all, and so I have nothing of worth to say on the matter.
markyR on 22 Jul '11 said:
Yay, patent trolling at it's best..... lets hope the judges see that.
kimoak on 22 Jul '11 said:
These people make me sick. Think up an idea, patent it and wait for someone to actually do womething that sounds like what they are talking about then sue them. I bet they don't even have offices or a website. Garage patent punks!
Augustus_aka_AG on 22 Jul '11 said:
Onus is on whoever's responsible for draughting/researching the Patent to ensure they are not infringing on an existing Patent. If you have a great idea and have the foresight to protect it, why should you lose out just because you haven't been able to bring a product to market?
Having said that, regardless of the legitimacy of the Patent, I'm sure Microsoft will have their own way in the long run.
MrPirtniw on 22 Jul '11 said:
Wow, this Sue gets around a lot. I hope I don't bump into her. Money grabbing biatch.
TechnoWolf on 22 Jul '11 said:
Sony did something similar to Kinect(eye toy) years before Kinect, but you don't see Sony suing. Patents are becoming so stupid, imo a patent should only be filed if there is a working model; a concept is pointless to file because there is always a chance that someone could think up something similar.
verynaughtyboy on 22 Jul '11 said:
Nice. I'm going to have to pay you royalties every time I go for a dump! Wait... what if I do it standing?
Sleepaphobic on 22 Jul '11 said:
Well, that's how stuff works I guess so they should just suck it up and get it over with.
alan666 on 22 Jul '11 said:
the tech come from a military background, MS purchased a company that makes things like this & adapted the tech for consumer uses.
Lady Gagagged on 22 Jul '11 said:
Surely the point of law is to protect the wronged. When you as a consumer fail to have faith in it you might aswell give up any rights and become a guppy.
Mobius01 on 22 Jul '11 said:
I half expected to read that Apple were suing them.
Very_Silver_Ownz on 22 Jul '11 said:
Only in America you can sue anyone for just about anything
Nod Nolan on 23 Jul '11 said:
The point is in the US you can patent unrealised ideas. You can list a patent such as "wave your arm to operate a TV", not bother even attempting to create it, but sue someone when it does.
Everywhere else in the world has it right. That you can only patent realised ideas.
Obscure_Metaphor on 23 Jul '11 said:
im gonna patent the concept of games that involve guns that use virtual reality, just to make sure my kids can afford to live in a golden palace.
This is really stupid. how can you patent something so vague as a 'sports game that uses a camera' especially if you haven't made one.
Sirini on 23 Jul '11 said:
They're probably patent trolls?
Uzi77 on 23 Jul '11 said:
So, wait, you actually think they'll win this? My god you're delusional. I have faith in real Law, like bringing people to justice who steal, murder or rape. But even you must realise that if a defendant or plaintiff has enough money they can probably win, regardless of truth. In this case, trying to not only sue MS, they have attempted to bring a load of other games companies along. Its just not going to be a Dave and Goliath story...
liveswired on 23 Jul '11 said:
I think it's about time the Patenting system was sorted out. It's irritating the amount of companies and individuals attempting to get their cream the cheap and nasty way instead of hard graft. Could you imagine if Operating Systems were only invented now?
It's especially galling that all these small leeching American companies are buying up every patent under the sun despite never actually making any product or prototype - what next - some American somewhere will actually patent games consoles? War games? platformers? or maybe even the design of Mario!! Hope this company, with the other ones attempting to sue are torn apart and go under. The patent system is a mess.
anytime on 23 Jul '11 said:
Not refering to this case, but if i worked on a project for years and some big multinational company came along and liked what they saw, stole my idea and made millions from it, i know i would be p**sed to.
Imaduck on 23 Jul '11 said:
They really need to clean up what you can patent. 3D motion tech?! So .... some tiny group can patent it and nobody else is allowed to evolve tech in any way until they've done it first?! I mean, they're basically patenting 3D, as in 3 dimensions...... the world is 3D. What the f**k? Merica!
Some of these guys are just wankers. It's like patenting the spreading of butter on bread.
voodoo341 on 23 Jul '11 said:
No they haven't! The patents are on the link if you'd look. They've designed equations and protocols for simulating sports using sensing technology. They're actually quite complex and detailed and filled in the September 2000 long before Kinect considered by Microsoft. The patents listed are very specific meaning all Microsoft have to do is prove they don't use any of those equations or protocols. Assuming they didn't of course.
Agent75 on 23 Jul '11 said:
Sony and Nintendo have been in and out of court over the years, now it's Microsoft's turn. If they lose, they'll find the compensation from somewhere. Sony lost its last case over the censor tech in it's controllers which is probably why their PS3 controllers have more than doubled in price.....
bawrash on 24 Jul '11 said:
They should only be able to sue if they'd actually made and released a product. People and companies are registering ideas 5-10 ahead of when the technology will exist and then sueing to make a quick buck. The reason they waited is because it is worth alot more now than it was when it was called project natal.
NEO_SUPERMAN on 24 Jul '11 said:
Ha! I've outsmarted you too fella. I'm gonna start wearing nappies! Who's the idiot now!!?!
liveswired on 24 Jul '11 said:
Hi I'm an American and I've just patented life, I've also just patented breathing. Most Americans live on compensation - it's like the job for the 21st century.
gunfighterii on 24 Jul '11 said:
Im sueing Nintendo for stealing my idea for the s**test next gen console i made up whilst on the toilet
gmcb007 on 24 Jul '11 said:
I'm guessing you make your s**t jokes up while on the toilet as well?