Well this could get interesting!
After the Nintendo Switch has been unable to stay off the shelves and has been a huge hit for Nintendo they are being sued over it’s design. Accessory Maker Gamevice alleges that Nintendo is infringing on patents that Gamevice owns, specifically targeting the Switch’s Joy-Con controllers.
In the lawsuit Gamevice says that “the Switch and its removable Joy-Con controllers are too close to Gamevice’s vision of a combination of detachable game controller and a device with a ‘flexible bridge section’.” Gamevice is looking for money to be paid as damages and a ban on the sale of the Nintendo Switch, this is not a shocking twist considering that this occurs with many hot new products that may look a bit similar to a much smaller product.
Gamevice’s Wikipad, their device that is at the center of their claims, has dual analog sticks, an analog D-pad, and four buttons. It is meant to slide over a tablet or mobile device so that you could play a mobile game with console controls.
Nintendo and Gamevice have been pretty quiet on the lawsuit with both refusing requests from multiple outlets to speak on the matter.
While there are some similarities between the two devices this should be easy for Nintendo’s lawyers to either get the case thrown out or win the case if it goes to trial. Gamevice is looking at long odds to win the case but you never know.
