Texas-based Fenner Investments is suing the big three game console makers -- Microsoft  , Nintendo, and Sony -- for violating a patent covering a "Low-Voltage Joystick Port Interface."
According to the patent, the invention is a port that interfaces a typical 5-volt joystick device with a computer. The lawsuit claims that the three firms are "now engaging, and will in the future continue to engage, in unauthorized conduct and activities that violate" the patent.
Fenner is demanding compensation for damages it claims to have incurred as a result of the violation, as well as punitive damages, attorney fees, and court costs, according to the suit, which was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
Who Owns What?
Although Fenner claims to hold the patent number 6,297,751 for the "Low-Voltage Joystick Port Interface," records show the design was developed by Lucent Technologies in 1998.
It is unclear how Fenner might have acquired legal rights to the patent, and repeated calls to the company's headquarters went unanswered.
Executives from Lucent Technologies, now Alcatel-Lucent, were not immediately available for comment.
This isn't the first legal battle waged by Fenner against big-brand companies. Last year, Fenner lost a lawsuit against wireless companies Alcatel, Nokia, and Cisco in a patent case.
Litigious Controls
The video game industry has been fraught with all kinds of lawsuits recently. Nintendo, for example, has been forced to defend itself against allegations related to the Wii's uniquely designed controllers, called the Wiimote.
Interlink Electronics filed the lawsuit last month against the Japan-based gamemaker over the Wiimote's trigger button, which Interlink claims is based on its own patented design.
Sony and Microsoft also have had their fair share of legal skirmishes related to their gaming unit controllers. In 2002, Immersion sued Microsoft and Sony over the vibration feature in the Xbox and PlayStation controllers. Immersion settled with Microsoft for some $26 million and won a court decision against Sony for $80 million.
Representatives for Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony were not immediately available to comment for this report.
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