Nintendo has been known to vigorously defend its interests and intellectual properties in court, and one of its longest-running legal battles may be nearing its conclusion. In 2010, the Japanese video game publisher filed a suit in Germany against BigBen Interactive–the previous incarnation of Nacon–over its third-party Wii Remote controllers. Now, the latest ruling has unequivocally gone in Nintendo’s favor.
As reported by Games Fray, the Mannheim Regional Court has reaffirmed the ruling that Nintendo is owed damages of over €4 million plus interest. Because Nacon fought the ruling, that interest has increased the total fee to just under €7 million.
Nintendo’s contention was that Nacon’s Wii Remote infringed on its patents for the sensor technology and camera needed to track player movements, as well as an acceleration sensor, and “the ergonomic features characteristic of Nintendo’s Wii Remote.” The initial verdict came down in 2011, but Nacon has consistently appealed the judgment and come up empty each time.
This may seem like the end of the story, but Games Fray is reporting that Nacon has filed yet another appeal. So it’s not quite over yet.
Nintendo has had considerable success in court when going after users who pirate or infringe on its properties. In October, streamer Jesse “EveryGameGuru” Keighin was ordered by the court to pay Nintendo $17,500 in damages for livestreaming pirated games and sharing links to the Yuzu and Ryujinx emulators. Keighin had previously mocked Nintendo’s efforts to go after him.
However, the money Keighin has to pay Nintendo pales in comparison to the $4.5 million that James “Archbox” Williams may be on the hook for. Nintendo accused Williams of running a Switch pirates page on Reddit, operating multiple Switch piracy sites, selling hardware hacks, and offering modified Switch consoles with pirated games.
