Sony Ordered to Halt PlayStation Sales

[fodders]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sony Corp. said on Monday it was ordered by a U.S. court to halt sales of its blockbuster PlayStation consoles in the United States and pay $90 million in damages to a California tech company, Immersion Corp. whose shares jumped more then 5 percent. http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=businessNews&storyID=8013137

[SyntherAugustus]

Immersion, a small, California-based developer of digital touch technologies, claimed Sony Computer Entertainment infringed on its technology that makes a game controller vibrate in sync with actions in games, the Japanese game maker said.

So let's sue 99.9% of game controller makers for PS2 also? With the addition of PC controllers with force feedback?

[darknation]

the dildo industry has much to answer for.

[Ninja_of_DooM]

So true.

[Sharessa]

darknation said:

the dildo industry has much to answer for.

Wow, stick a fork in this thread, it's done. No more need be said!

[wildweasel]

This is just like the lawsuit from that guy who patented 3D display algorithms. It'll never work. The court will throw it out.

[Quasar]

I'm so sick of the patent system being abused like this. These idiots file these patents in utter secrecy anticipating the later development of these technologies. Pending patents don't show up in searches, so companies proceed developing this stuff in good faith that they're not doing anything wrong. Then, the patent is (wrongfully) approved RETROACTIVE to the filing date. Suddenly, this know-nothing do-nothing company can take every tech company in the market to court and outright STEAL billions of dollars from them.

The US patent system has become one more weapon in the armory of the IP regime.

[Sharessa]

Internet Protocol regime?

Is that the one set up by the DNS party? :P

[Sporku]

Internet Protocol regime?

""Intellectual Property.""

EDIT: So, they're being sued because of the fact that their controllers rumble? Er, don't most controllers do that nowadays?

[Ralphis]

Wasn't Nintendo the innovators and creators of the first rumbling controllers?

[Manc]

"For the time being, Sony will keep selling PlayStations as the order -- which covers the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, two game controllers and 47 software titles -- will not go into effect before the appeal, an SCE spokeswoman said."

[DOOM Anomaly]

Ralphis said:

Wasn't Nintendo the innovators and creators of the first rumbling controllers?

I know N64 had the Rumble Packs. But I can't remember if that came out before the first rumbling controller did.

[Psyonisis]

,

[Ralphis]

Psyonisis said:

I don't see how a vibrating controller has technology different from an electric back massager (circa 70s, 80s?).

Back massagers interacted with televisions and ataris back then? That's news to me

[Psyonisis]

,

[Ralphis]

Psyonisis said:

Vibrating controllers are just back massagers being activated through a signal rather than directly flipping a switch. It's virtually the same thing.

What about cellphones? I guess all cellphone companies are ripping off Immersion Corp. as well.

I don't think you quite understand the workings of patents. It's too bad noone has patented the wheel...wait a second...

[Sharessa]

Psyonisis said:

Vibrating controllers are just back massagers being activated through a signal rather than directly flipping a switch. It's virtually the same thing.

Back massagers/vibrators.

Might was well sue the inventor of the Steely Dan.

[SteelPH]

Let's sure have a case of Edison's corpse vs. Light bulb companies while were at it. ;P

[Piezo]

corpse?