Nintendo under Investigation Due to Potential Patent Infringement

Another day, another patent controversy.

It’s not uncommon nowadays for smaller companies to launch lawsuits against bigger ones concerning patent infringements. The latest company to get in trouble over this is Nintendo, which is currently under investigation by the US International Trade Commission. The news comes from a recent press release, which lists Nintendo as a respondent to an investigation concerning “certain portable gaming console systems with attachable handheld controllers and components thereof.” Yes, we’re talking about the Switch.

The problem is that a company called Gamevice is accusing Nintendo of infringing on its controller patents. Gamevice even suggests a “limited exclusion order and a cease and desist” against Nintendo. This would potentially prevent future imports of the Switch into the US.

What are the chances of this happening?

In short: there’s not a high chance at all. That’s mainly because Gamevice’s products have little in common with Nintendo’s JoyCons. They can’t even be detached in order to be used wirelessly, which is one of JoyCon’s main highlights. Sure, some internal components could share similarities, even patent infringing ones. However, it’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time that Gamevice has come after Nintendo. Last summer, the company sued for similar reasons and then dropped the case voluntarily in fall.

The commision is currently analyzing whether the Japanese company is in violation of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930. We’ll keep you updated as the story develops.