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Japanese inventor Seijiro Tomita has filed a lawsuit against Nintendo on the grounds that he claims to have invented the glasses-free 3D technology used in the 3DS. He argues that he met with Nintendo and demonstrated the parallax barrier technology in 2003, eight years before the console’s release. If successful, Tomita’s attorney says the inventor could be entitled to damages worth $9.80 per handheld, equating to around $25 million total.
Nintendo alleges that the meeting with Tomita was one of hundreds and that it did not eventually use one of the key features of his technology: cross-point, which allows the generation of 3D images across multiple screens. The matter would not be the first time Nintendo’s patents have been challenged; in 2008, the company was ordered to pay $21 million damages to Texas-based Anascape Ltd. over the design of the GameCube controller, but the ruling was ultimately overturned by the US Court of Appeals.
Source: Edge
So is he a patent troll, or an innovator who was ripped off? My money is on patent troll due to the time lapse, and Nintendo’s history with 3D development and Sharp.
You bring up a great detail by naming Sharp. Isn’t Sharp the patent holder behind this tech that Nintendo is using? I remember Ninty saying tey partnered with them for this tech…
Maybe not just a patent troll in this case – at least his resume makes it sound like he might have some legit innovations and developments patented. Of course that doesn’t mean this lawsuit has any merit.
Nintendo is usually pretty good at defending themselves in cases like this, so we’ll have to wait and see what the courts decide.