Nintendo has obtained the entire patent portfolio of exergaming company InterAction Laboratories (a.k.a. IA Labs) following an unsuccessful 2010 lawsuitalleging that Nintendo's Wii and its peripherals infringed on IA's patents.
A trial court ruled in favor of Nintendo in 2012, ordering IA Labs to pay Nintendo's legal defense fees as a result. IA Labs lost a subsequent appeal last year, leading to a sheriff's sale of its assets when the company was unable to reimburse Nintendo's court costs. Nintendo then purchased IA Labs' remaining assets and patent portfolio during the sale, closing off the potential for further claims and lawsuits.
While Nintendo won this particular patent battle, a federal judge recently ruledin favor of Tomita Technologies International in a lawsuit over Nintendo's patent-infringing use of its glasses-free 3D technology. Nintendo was ordered to pay a percentage of revenue earned from 3DS hardware sales to Tomita as a result of the suit.