May 15, 2008 - A federal judge has ordered Nintendo of America to pay $21 million to Anascape, a Texas company that owns a portfolio of patents related to game controllers.
Anascape sued Nintendo in 2006, claiming that Nintendo's Gamecube controller, the Wavebird wireless pad and the Wii Classic add-on infringed several of Anascape's patents.
Microsoft was also sued by Anascape in 2006, but settled with them earlier this month for an undisclosed amount.
I'm surprised Nintendo did not do their homework regarding patent infringement. Or perhaps they did and thought it was worth taking a chance? Whichever the case, 21 million is an awful lot of money to learn a lesson on patents.