A Rockville technology firm is suing video game giant Nintendo for patent infringement, saying it created the technology that allows consumers to use a motion controller to interact with digital media that has made the Nintendo Wii video game console so popular.
Hillcrest Laboratories filed complaints this week with the U.S. International Trade Commission and the U.S. District Court in Maryland for patent infringement against Nintendo.
“While Hillcrest Labs has a great deal of respect for Nintendo and the Wii, Hillcrest Labs believes that Nintendo is in clear violation of its patents and has taken this action to protect its intellectual property rights,” the company said in a statement.
Hillcrest said the company holds 29 patents in the motion-controller segment of the gaming industry and has filed for more than 100 related patents.
The Wii is the top-selling video game console in the United States. Market-tracking firm NPD Group reports that 666,000 Wii consoles were sold in the United States in June, raising the total sales count in the country to nearly 10.9 million units.
