Sony slapped with another patent suit

[wraggster]

News from Gamespot (http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6153997.html?sid=6153997)


Sony has been having some trouble with patent disputes of late. In March 2005, Immersion Corporation won its lawsuit claiming that Sony's DualShock PlayStation and PlayStation 2 controllers infringed on its force-feedback patents. A judge ordered Sony to pay more than $90 million in damages, and earlier this year denied an attempt from the electronics giant to have the decision overturned.

Now Sony's in the middle of another patent fight, this one brought against the company by Pennsylvania-based Agere Systems. According to court documents, Agere (which has a pair of offices in Texas) has filed suit against Sony and a number of its divisions for willful infringement of eight patents in a number of its products, including the PSP, PlayStation 2, and based on announced specifications, the PlayStation 3. Sony VAIO computers, Handycams, Walkman players, Memory Stick Duos, and Location Free TV are also named as infringing offerings on some of the patents. The patents in question run from a "wireless local area network apparatus" to "barrier layer treatments for tungsten plug."

Agere is asking that each branch of Sony be made to provide an accounting of all gains made through their alleged infringements, and that the company be awarded damages to adequately compensate it based on those figures. Agere also claims that Sony knew about the patents and willfully infringed on them, so it is asking the courts to boost the damages awarded as much as three times what it would have been otherwise.

In its defense, Sony has denied all claims of infringement. It is arguing that it actually has the rights to use seven of the eight patents through a 1989 cross-licensing deal with AT&T and Lucent (whose microelectronics group eventually became Agere Systems). Sony also contends that some of the patents (including the one it doesn't claim a right to use) were not properly obtained because Agere omitted important information when it filed for them. Finally, Sony believes the patents in question are invalid anyway, and has asked the judge to declare them as such.

Agere denied Sony's counterclaims last month and has issued a demand for a jury trial.

[stotheamuel]

Agere and immersion (more so agere) are both sue happy... come on this is BS

[PraiseBrad]

HAHA take that sony its what you deserve for taking a shite on your customers ><

[shinysuitman]

now is it just me, or does sony need to hire better lawyers in order to cover their @$$e$. ohh well. kinda stupid if you ask me, but maybe its just like they say: any publicity is good publicity

[RedKing14CA]

every notice its only massive corporations able to file lawsuits against other massive corporations...

why cant i file a lawsuit against sony for having a FALSE warranty? or false advertising?

(such as, this game will not run below version 2.5, when you CAN run it, it doesnt matter if they agree with the way you can or not, you CAN!!!)

[zackforbing]

Agere and immersion (more so agere) are both sue happy... come on this is BS
Totally! I mean, who cares that they created something, and patented it, but sony stole the idea and profited from it? I know I wouldn't want to be compensated for it!

obviously it's NOT bs. the judge awarded immersion $90M, so they must have SOMETHING. or didn't you RTFA?

[RedKing14CA]

Totally! I mean, who cares that they created something, and patented it, but sony stole the idea and profited from it? I know I wouldn't want to be compensated for it!

obviously it's NOT bs. the judge awarded immersion $90M, so they must have SOMETHING. or didn't you RTFA?

but 90 million dollars is a little TOO extreme....

[stotheamuel]

"In its defense, Sony has denied all claims of infringement. It is arguing that it actually has the rights to use seven of the eight patents through a 1989 cross-licensing deal with AT&T and Lucent (whose microelectronics group eventually became Agere Systems). "

This is just like the fu**ing wright ammendment!

Im putting pattens on a time machine... so when someone invents one... I can sue

[Pico]

old news.

[zackforbing]

but 90 million dollars is a little TOO extreme....
again, OBVIOUSLY it's not too much. sony included that feature on every PS2 controller they made. they sold each of those for 20 bucks. most of the people I know who have PS2's have two or more controllers. some have four. overall, that translates into a lot of profit, and these people got their "cut".

[SteveV2]

"In its defense, Sony has denied all claims of infringement. It is arguing that it actually has the rights to use seven of the eight patents through a 1989 cross-licensing deal with AT&T and Lucent (whose microelectronics group eventually became Agere Systems). "

This is just like the fu**ing wright ammendment!

Im putting pattens on a time machine... so when someone invents one... I can sue


I already did. I'll sue your ass :D

[gotmilk0112]

i dont get ANY of it but $ony getting sued is GOOD! :D

P.S. i put patent on my stupid drawing of metriod prime hunters so if anyone tries to make it ill sue them :D

[jefdizon]

I'd rather nuke the patent office. At this rate, someone might patent oxygen and air, and you might get sued for even breathing. I say nuke those idiots!

[stotheamuel]

right on.. someone finaly agrees.

[gov1]

sony are becoming less and less likeable by the minute :(

[jimmywho]

another patent problem?

it is very incredible that things like these proceed

sony already paid for the shock function(1997) to logitech who patented before immersion(2000)

and now another stupid patent for something already paid

whats happening with patent system?

[F9zDark]

i dont get ANY of it but $ony getting sued is GOOD! :D


How is it good? Sony getting sued hurts the end user, with increased costs of their products and the necessity to remove or charge for services normally rendered free of charge(tech support for instance).

Imagine if Sony was ordered to cease and decist on the dual shock controllers? Imagine how fun the PS3 would be without the rumbling controller, which aside from making games more interactive, can also serve as a clue to whats going on. For instance, how many times have you put the controller down for a second, to grab a handful of chips and heard the annoying noise of the controller vibrating on the wooden floor, signifying that you are taking damage from an enemy?

Or what of the games that have vague visual clues when the player is taking damage? The vibrating controller is a powerful and instantly recognized communication of something that is occuring to the player.

These things may be trivial, but remove them, and I gurantee, everyone's game playing experience will be altered enough to warrant almost not playing.

[stotheamuel]

wonderfull point f9z....but too late im afraid (atleast for ps3)

no rumble :(