News: Anascape Demands Traditional Controller Ban in US Page 1

Anascape Demands Traditional Controller Ban in US

23.07.2008

A US judge has ruled in favour of Anascape which may see Nintendo prevented from selling GameCube, WaveBird and Wii Classic controllers in the US.

Back in May 2008 Nintendo had been ordered to pay out $21 million for infringing 12 different patents on control.

Not content with just monetary compensation, it seems Anascape has sought to remove the GameCube, Wavebird and Classic Controllers from the market. Anascape's lawyer noted that the company had wanted to enter the gaming peripheral market but felt Nintendo, unlike Sony and Microsoft who previously settled differences, had "clogged the channel".

Eurogamer report that the ban has been temporarily put on hold whilst Nintendo heads in for an appeal. The company has also been forced to fill up an escrow account with royalties to avoid completely terminating sales.

The Wii's classic controller will still sit on retail shelves until the courts come to a conclusion.

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JoshSL 23.07.2008#1

What what what? If Anascape wanted to enter gaming perpheral market, wouldn't that mean THEY should be sued? I don't see what Nintendo's Official Controllers have to do with "clogging the channel".

I probably missed something. This all sounds a bit trivial though.

Dunno why this nobody company like Anascape has all these patents anyway. Obviously they did it so that they could get loads of money if something like this happened.

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shiptoncraig 23.07.2008#2

Dunno why this nobody company like Anascape has all these patents anyway. Obviously they did it so that they could get loads of money if something like this happened.

It's what I always think everytime stuff like this happens to Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony. Smilie

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jb 23.07.2008#3

Dunno why this nobody company like Anascape has all these patents anyway. Obviously they did it so that they could get loads of money if something like this happened.

Yep. They're like a little snake hiding in the bushes waiting to pounce on its prey.

What what what? If Anascape wanted to enter gaming perpheral market, wouldn't that mean THEY should be sued? I don't see what Nintendo's Official Controllers have to do with "clogging the channel"

It is incredibly trivial.

Anascape own patents that they feel Nintendo, Sony and MS had infringed with their controllers.

They're accusing Nintendo of using similar techniques, in their analogue-driven controllers (GC, WB, CC) and to enter the market they'd want to be paid for each controller sold.

In their eyes if Nintendo sells further controllers, they're not getting anything from them (despite already being paid compensation, greedy fucks). I'm assuming their after some kind of royalties from all controllers with analogue sticks and the like and Nintendo selling their controllers is stopping that, supposedly.

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JoshSL 23.07.2008#4

Surely the Judge should be smart enough to see this is all a bit of a scam... it's really stupid, especially when Anascape are so unheard of and they probably NEVER intended to enter the business at all.

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Darkflame 23.07.2008#5

US patent judges dont understand \"prior art\"
Patents used to be a wonderfull thing, now they are exploited to death and punish innovation, not reward it.

Incidently, this isnt even a real company.
I cant find one single product they make, no website, and just a string of people sued.
Heck, even the patents are too an individual.

( Edited 23.07.2008 14:02 by Darkflame )

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Stulaw 23.07.2008#6

I personally think anascape should be stripped of there patent, since they don't have controllers on the market, why the heck did they get the patent it the first place? The analog sticks are all designed differently, and i'm sure that anascape got the patent way after the controllers came out.

Surely American patent judges aren't that thick, it can easily be seen as a scam for illions(even billions) of dollars.

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E-Dracon 23.07.2008#7

Darkflame said:
Incidently, this isnt even a real company.
I cant find one single product they make, no website, and just a string of people sued.
Heck, even the patents are too an individual.

lol, your right, it doesn't exist! xD
I've been trying to find info about the company... and I found absolutely nothing at all

WP-Final 23.07.2008#8

Nintendo controllers are for Nintendo consoles. Are they saying they want to release their own Gamecube controller? Or Wavebird?

Stupid Stupid Stupid! The only channel that Nintendo is clogging up is their own channel for their own products.

Hopefully Nintendo can avoid paying such a ridiculous amount of money and a ban.

Laurelin 23.07.2008#9

Kotaku had a link to a google-forum-site where the patent was in parts pictured. It's dated from 1997. Wheren't there controllers out with analog systems back then?

I find your lack of faith disturbing!

Demoni Rakkausenkeli 23.07.2008#10

uuuhhhh..... can someone tell me...Who the fuck is Anascape? Smilie

Lynk 24.07.2008#11

Doesn't the Nunchuk use analogue control aswell? I haven't read anything about it, but the Nunchuk control is very similar to the Cube and CC analogue sticks.

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