Nintendo Settles Patent Infringement Suit

Nintendo and Hillcrest Labs settled a suit involving motion-sensing technology used for the Nintendo Wii, in an agreement that removes the Mario house from the threat of an import ban. The two companies filed a notice with the U.S. International Trade Commission, Bloomberg reported. The amount of the settlement went undisclosed to the public. The report said that Nintendo did not admit to any patent infringement, but referred to the settlement terms as a "licensing and settlement agreement." Had Kyoto, Japan-based Nintendo lost the impending suit, it could have lost the right to sell the Wii in the U.S. Last year, Hillcrest filed the suit against Nintendo with the U.S. International Trade Commission, and a civil suit in federal court. The lab has licensed its "Freespace" technology to companies including peripheral manufacturer Logitech, but refused to name those firms using its "Home" interface technology. At the time, Rockville, Maryland-based Hillcrest said, "While Hillcrest Labs has a great deal of respect for Nintendo and the Wii, Hillcrest Labs believes that Nintendo is in clear violation of its patents and has taken this action to protect its intellectual property rights."