ken 3-4-2007 11:19
Sony Agrees To Pay $150.3 Million In PlayStation Patent Suit
[b]At issue is software that causes the PlayStation controller to vibrate in sync with the videogame action. [/b]
By Antone Gonsalves
InformationWeek
Sony Corp. has agreed to pay Immersion Corp. $150.3 million in ending a patent infringement suit in which the
latter company claimed the consumer electronics giant used its technology in the PlayStation videogame console.
The agreement followed Sony's decision to withdraw its appeal of a federal court jury decision awarding
Immersion $127.8 million, an Immersion spokeswoman said Friday. The Oakland, Calif., jury found Sony
guilty of patent infringement in 2004.
In a separate, but related agreement, Sony has licensed Immersion technology for $22.5 million,
the spokeswoman said.
The suit stemmed from Sony's use of Immersion software that causes the PlayStation controller
to vibrate in sync with the videogame action. The so-called haptic technology was used in the
PlayStation and PlayStation 2 models. Sony has not said whether the technology would now
be used in PlayStation 3, which was released in the United States in November.
"We look forward to exploring with Immersion exciting new ways to bring the largest and best
range of game-play experiences to our customers," Kazuo Hirai, president and group chief operating
officer for Sony Computer Entertainment, said in a joint statement with Immersion.
Victor Viegas, chief executive of San Jose, Calif.-based, Immersion, said he was "pleased to have put
this litigation behind us."
"Our new business agreement with Sony Computer Entertainment is specifically intended to enable
advanced vibration capability
for the benefit of the PlayStation gaming community," he said.
tingaling 10-9-2007 23:16
mmmmmmmmmm~~