In 2010, IA Labs (Powergrid Fitness) filed a lawsuit against Nintendo claiming infringements on patents relating to the Wii and its accessories like the Balance Board and MotionPlus. Though Nintendo won the case in lower court in 2012, after which IA Labs appealed to the Court of Appeals.
Today, the Court of Appeals upheld the verdict that Nintendo had not infringed on any patent rights, and instructed IA Labs to pay Nintendo more than $236,000 to cover legal fees relating to the case.
Nintendo of America deputy general counsel Richard Medway commented on the victory, stating that, “We are very pleased with the court’s decision. Nintendo has a long history of developing innovative products while respecting the intellectual property rights of others. We also vigorously defend patent lawsuits, like the IA Labs lawsuit, when we firmly believe that we have not infringed another party’s patent.”
The win over IA Labs marks another victory for Nintendo, which has been fighting claims of patent infringement relating to the Wii for years.