Saturday, January 13th 2007

Fenner Investments sues Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo for infringing on it's joystick patent

Fenner Investments sues Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo for infringing on its joystick

It sounds too nonsensical to be true, but Texas-based Fenner Investments sued all three console manufacturers for infringing their copyright on a "low-voltage joystick port interface" (patent number 6,297,751). The patent basically states:
The joystick port interface according the present invention is a low power port which interfaces a typical 5 Volt joystick peripheral device with a lower power computer port. The low-voltage joystick port interface includes a bidirectional buffer circuit and a pulse generator which, together, generate a digital pulse signal, representing a joystick coordinate position, based on an input analog measurement signal.
If Fenner wins the lawsuits, then they will succeed in banning all three consoles from market, as they are seeking damages and an injunction against the consoles.
Source: Gamasutra
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29 Comments on Fenner Investments sues Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo for infringing on it's joystick patent

#1
blobster21
sounds 2 good to be true :laugh:
Posted on Reply
#2
Wile E
Power User
So wait, isn't what they describe, just USB?
Posted on Reply
#3
Seany1212
hahaha, fenner are morons. They intend to put a halt on multibillion (or million?) dollar selling consoles? :roll: :roll: When will these lawsuits end? :banghead:
Posted on Reply
#4
HookeyStreet
Eat, sleep, game!
LMAO Bill Gates will just have the Fenner boss' assassinated :roll:
Posted on Reply
#5
Mad-Matt
notof those companies issue joysticks so to them they are low voltage Joypad ports, not the same thing fenner is shouting about. with all there powers combined, they will bankrupt fenner from ever making stupid claims again ;)
Posted on Reply
#6
InfDamarvel
Seany1212hahaha, fenner are morons. They intend to put a halt on multibillion (or million?) dollar selling consoles? :roll: :roll: When will these lawsuits end? :banghead:
o Man Na Nintendo plans to make 1 billion dollars this year themselves and with all 3 consoles being sued this is multi-billion.
Posted on Reply
#7
Jimmy 2004
Yeah, I can't see three companies with that much money to throw around backing down. For once we're going to see Nintendo and Sony on the same side.
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#8
Random Murderer
The Anti-Midas
pffffffffff... even if fenner succeeds, they will hafta deal with millions of irate gamers! believe you me, just from playing gta we know how to handle guns! :p
Posted on Reply
#9
WarEagleAU
Bird of Prey
Fenner: "I want money for you using something similar to my patent."

SonyMSNintendo: "well too bad, it doesnt infringe on what you patented."

Fenner: "well Im gonna sue you."

SonyMSNintendo: "Go ahead, if you think you will win."


I can honestly say this is stupid bullshit. Especially if they want to halt all three consoles, which the governments will never let happen.
Posted on Reply
#10
Benpi
Seany1212hahaha, fenner are morons. They intend to put a halt on multibillion (or million?) dollar selling consoles?
Xbox360 sold 10 million consoles at $300 > that's 3billion in xbox360 consoles alone. No fukking way this bullshit lawsuit will pass. If they invented that shit, why didn't they sue 10 years ago with the n64?
Posted on Reply
#11
JC316
Knows what makes you tick
zekrahminatorIt sounds too nonsensical to be true, but Texas-based Fenner Investments sued all three console manufacturers for infringing their copyright on a "low-voltage joystick port interface" (patent number 6,297,751). The patent basically states: If Fenner wins the lawsuits, then they will succeed in banning all three consoles from market, as they are seeking damages and an injunction against the consoles.

Source: Gamasutra
Yeah, like that will EVER happen. They are walking head first into a SHITLOAD of money, they will lose.
Posted on Reply
#12
OnBoard
That patent must be from C-64 era! I'll be impressed if modern console kids even know what a joystick is :) Can't remember any console using a joystick in 20 years. If the patent said joypad, then they would have something to cry about.

As stupid and smilar would be Ford to sue Harley-Davidson for a petrol engine vehicle on rubber wheels..
Posted on Reply
#13
tkpenalty
Rofl

Then you find in the future, all the gaming console companies combine >_>...

S.N.M!!!
Posted on Reply
#14
Random Murderer
The Anti-Midas
BenpiXbox360 sold 10 million consoles at $300 > that's 3billion in xbox360 consoles alone. No fukking way this bullshit lawsuit will pass. If they invented that shit, why didn't they sue 10 years ago with the n64?
cuz the n64 didnt net billions of dollars.:slap:
Posted on Reply
#15
jocksteeluk
one thing is for certain when Fenner loses they wont be suing anyone else because no doubt they will be bankrupt
Posted on Reply
#16
Random Murderer
The Anti-Midas
jocksteelukone thing is for certain when Fenner loses they wont be suing anyone else because no doubt they will be bankrupt
they'll go bankrupt suing nintendo alone, yet they chose to sue all three giants at once.... they will be crushed like the annoying little bugs they are...:shadedshu
Posted on Reply
#17
JC316
Knows what makes you tick
OnBoardThat patent must be from C-64 era! I'll be impressed if modern console kids even know what a joystick is :) Can't remember any console using a joystick in 20 years.
The Sega Genesis had a joystick and the Sega Dreamcast also had one. Besides, those are "thumbsticks" not a joystick.
Posted on Reply
#18
Random Murderer
The Anti-Midas
JC316The Sega Genesis had a joystick and the Sega Dreamcast also had one. Besides, those are "thumbsticks" not a joystick.
fenner is just looking for a way to make some quick cash, when in reality this lawsuit will end up swallowing up everything they own just so they can afford to stay in the lawsuit...

dumbasses... theyre way out of theyre league...:shadedshu
Posted on Reply
#19
Carcenomy
If anyone's curious, here's the patent.

This is ridiculous. They obtained the patent in 2001 on technology that's been in use since the 80s. How about they go to the fiscal hell that I'm sure MS/Sony/Nintendo want them in?
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#20
LonGun
HookeyStreetLMAO Bill Gates will just have the Fenner boss' assassinated :roll:
HAHAHA that's very possible, my friend. Very possible :D
Posted on Reply
#21
Benpi
Jimmy 2004Yeah, I can't see three companies with that much money to throw around backing down. For once we're going to see Nintendo and Sony on the same side.
Sony has already done this. What happened to the rumble????
Posted on Reply
#22
Thermopylae_480
I have a suspicion that this is what "Fenner Investments" does. I imagine it is a corporation dedicated to litigation as it's sole source of income. Companies which use this method, file mass patents/copyrights, in a dragnet approach, in the hopes of selling, or suing for and, hopefully settling out of court, for these intellectual rights. It's very shady, but entirely legal.
Posted on Reply
#23
evil bill
These "I'll Sue You" companies and the type of people they attract are the scum of the earth, and are a shining example of the "screw you, I'm alright Jack" society we live in today. Parasites.

Say what you like about companies like MS, Sony and Apple - whatever shady business practices and cynical marketing tactics they emply that we may not care for, in the grand scheme of things they came to prominence because they innovated and brought original and revolutionary products to market at one stage or another and THAT will be their legacy. You will always get people who want a piece of that without doing the work.
Posted on Reply
#24
Carcenomy
It's curious to note that according to the patents office, that patent is issued to Lucent Technologies... I'm guessing this 'Fenner Investments' snapped it up after Lucent merged with Alcatel. Why Lucent had a patent for a low power joystick port I don't know, but in any road it's still dirty bollocks tactics in a feeble attempt to get quick cash. I hope the big three's lawyers give them a hard time.
Posted on Reply
#25
Seany1212
How can they patent the joystick though, according to this patent it came into effect in 1998, but joysticks were out way before then, so how could they go and put a block on it? :wtf:
Posted on Reply
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