New Legal Action in Force Feedback Suits
- Scribbled on May 19th, 2009 by Jonah Falcon
- Filed in Hardware Peripherals, Legal Brief, Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3
The lawsuit by Immersion against Sony and Microsoft for their force feedback technology has sprouted a new twist as patent holder Craig Thorner claims Sony and Immersion colluded to force him to sell his tech for a fraction of its value.
Thorner held several patents relating to force feedback technology, which became central to Sony’s defence in its infamous legal action against Immersion. He claims that after Sony’s loss against Immersion he was contacted by PDP, who were also involved in legal action with Immersion.
PDP licensed Thorner’s patents using the same attorneys representing Sony and Thorner now alleges that the two companies conspired to cheat him out of a more favourable deal. Thorner is suing PDP for legal malpractice and Sony for patent infringement.
A little history: Immersion sued Sony and Microsoft – Sony lost, Microsoft settled, and the funny part? Microsoft paid Immersion $26M, and then when Immersion won, Microsoft was given $20.75M in Sony’s royalties – it’s like Sony gave Microsoft almost $21M! Weirdness.
Leave a Comment (NOTE: Comments are moderated)