Nintendo Etches Out PTAB Win Over Much of Game Controller Patent

Nintendo Co. Ltd. convinced the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to invalidate most of a rival’s combo game controller and device patent, arguing it was obvious in light of previous inventions.

The Patent and Trademark Office tribunal’s two decisions, which were entered Tuesday, concluded that the majority of claims in Gamevice Inc.'s U.S. Patent No. 9,126,119 are unpatentable.

Gamevice, a handheld controller developer, sued the Japanese video game company in a California federal court, alleging Nintendo’s Switch device infringed its related patents. The PTAB noted that the ‘119 patent “isn’t subject of an infringement action.”

Perkins Coie LLP represented Nintendo ...