Microsoft has announced its intention to sue the UK-based company Datel Design and Development for what they say is an infringement of several patents that it holds.
Microsoft has filed the lawsuit in a U.S. District Court in Seattle, as well as filing a complaint in the United Kingdom. They are seeking monetary damages, attorney fees and injunctive relief.
The patents – 521,015, D522,011, D547,763 and D581,422 – relate to “portions of a gaming controller”; then – D563,480 and D565,668 – cover a “portion of a gaming input device having an illuminated region”. Most of these patents relate to the XBox 360 controller’s front design and button layout and it doesn’t seem that any internal workings of the device are a part of the issue.
Usually, console makers have little objection over third-party peripheral options, often offering licensing deals, as this brings more product offerings to the game system. But in this case, alleges Microsoft, ‘Datel flew a bit too close to the sun and violated the licensing agreement’.
In a prepared statement relating to this lawsuit, Microsoft spokesperson Kevin Kutz said,
“We have a robust licensing program that ensures high standards and contributes to a great experience for the Xbox gamer community. We have a responsibility to protect that program and the companies that are part of it, as well as our own intellectual property.”
Although, obviously, the first question I ask is… has this case got anything to do with the lawsuit filed by Datel Design and Development against Microsoft late last year, alleging anti-trust violations after Microsoft blocked the use of unauthorized Datel “MAX Memory” cards that allowed microSD flash cards to be used with the Xbox 360 through a memory card adapter.
Interestingly, Microsoft has since announced a system update on April 6 that will allow 2x 16GB USB memory units to store game data and other content.
Above: Microsoft Xbox controller (middle), flanked by two of Datel’s controllers for the Xbox 360. (Credit: Microsoft)
What do you think about Microsoft’s action? Necessary or Not?
Please let me know below…
