Microsoft, EA and Sega get sued over alleged Kinect patent

bubbafett4hire

bubbafett4hire

CAGiversary!
c/p

Microsoft is facing legal action over its gaming hardware after an intellectual property owner claimed to own all rights to tech that tracks players' movement and enables gaming without a controller.

Ohio-based outfit Impulse Technologies reckons Microsoft's Xbox Kinect goes against seven of its patents, Patent Arcade reports, and has filed a lawsuit alleging intellectual property theft. The patent describes a "system and method for tracking and assessing movement skills in multidimensional space" as well as an "education system challenging a subject’s physiologic and kinesthetic systems to synergistically enhance cognitive function".

The company says it contacted Microsoft before filing the lawsuit - booked into the US District Court of Delaware - claiming its patents cover a "wide variety of games where the movement of a player is tracked in three dimensions... and certain exercise games where the motion of the player is tracked to effect movement of a virtual avatar, and the exertion of the user is monitored, including where the tracking of the player is done by use of a camera".

Impulse hasn't targeted Microsoft exclusively. Eight developers from EA to Konami are also accused of infringing the patents, by making various games that feature movement-based controls.

Impulse is seeking a permanent injunction, damages, treble damages, interest, attorneys’ fees and costs.
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Lol at covering a wide variety of games that use movement. There is no way a patent this broad can hold up in court against the big names of the industry. Impulse Technologies is going to lose out on this one.
 
[quote name='momouchi']Lol at covering a wide variety of games that use movement. There is no way a patent this broad can hold up in court against the big names of the industry. Impulse Technologies is going to lose out on this one.[/QUOTE]

They aren't trying to win a long drawn out lawsuit, they just want a settlement which they will probably get.
 
If the companies are smart, they will drag it out and make the smaller company fork out a lot of money in legal fees. Especially if each of the 8 had their own separate long trial with Impulse.
 
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