A company specialising in wireless content transfer in the US has hit Sony, Nintendo and Nokia with lawsuits claiming infringements on patents relating to the wireless transfer of content on handheld gaming consoles and mobile phones.
Edge reports this week on a court filing from February 13 that "shows that Plano, Tex.-based Wall Wireless LLC is suing Sony, Nintendo, Nokia and related companies including Sony Computer Entertainment America and Nintendo of America for allegedly infringing upon U.S. patent 6,640,086, named "Method and Apparatus for Creating and Distributing Real-Time Interactive Media Content Through Wireless Communication Networks and the Internet.""
Wall Wireless claims that its own patented invention "pertains ... to methods and systems that allow an operator to distribute messages having aural or visual content that is generated by the operator using handheld apparatuses such as mobile telephones."
Patent trolls?
Wall Wireless' legal case specifically cites games such as Nintendo's Mario Kart, Sony's WipeOut Pulse and Nokia's N-gage title Reset Generation.
Nokia, Sony, Nintendo and other defendants named in the case apparently received a notice of the patent "at least as early as October 2008."
Wall Wireless' lawyers are chasing damages, costs, expenses, attorney's fees and pre-judgment and post-judgment interest.
Patent trolls or legitimate claimants? Only time will tell...
