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Microsoft Settles With Immersion Over Haptic Patent
Posted by
CowboyNeal
on Tue Jul 29, '03 02:44 AM
from the wheels-greased-with-cash dept.
from the wheels-greased-with-cash dept.
Dolly_Llama writes "Immersion settled their lawsuit against Microsoft over the use of Haptic vibration technology in the XBox controllers. Microsoft paid Immersion $26M to settle and to license Immersion's haptic patents. Immersion has a similar lawsuit still pending with Sony."
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Microsoft Sues Immersion Over Rumble Deal 47 comments
Waaay back in 2003, Microsoft settled with Immersion over the rumble technology found in their Xbox game controllers. Now, Microsoft is filing suit against Immersion, claiming that the company has not paid Microsoft 'based on certain business and IP licensing arrangements.' CNet has the release, and links over to a Seattle PI blog entry with some investigative digging by Todd Bishop. "One provision of the Microsoft-Immersion settlement wasn't reported widely at the time, if at all: Microsoft negotiated rights to a payment from Immersion -- a refund, of sorts -- if Immersion settled its case with Sony ... Here's where the new dispute arises: On March 1, nearly four years after the Microsoft settlement, Sony and Immersion announced that they had 'agreed to conclude their patent litigation at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and have entered into a new business agreement to explore the inclusion of Immersion technology in PlayStation format products.' ... while Immersion and Sony have agreed to conclude their patent litigation, they don't use the word 'settlement,' describing it instead as a business agreement."
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Microsoft Settles With Immersion Over Haptic Patent
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Repetitive Haptic Injury?
(Score:4, Funny)Q.
Re:Repetitive Haptic Injury?
(Score:5, Funny)Hey wait....
Q. :)
Anybody else remember...
(Score:4, Interesting)(http://www.ferion.net/ | Last Journal: Monday May 06, @03:16AM)
This ring a bell with anybody? Now I'm kinda curious what happened.
In case of /.ing
(Score:1, Informative)Monday July 28, 4:07 pm ET
Agreements Settle Legal Differences
Provide Microsoft Broad Licensing Rights to Sense of Touch Patents on Multiple Platforms
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 28, 2003--Immersion Corp. (NASDAQ:IMMR - News) today announced a series of agreements with Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT - News), that grant Microsoft licensing rights for Immersion's patent portfolio, which is primarily directed to haptic technologies (the sense of touch). The agreements consist of a $26 million payment from Microsoft for licensing rights and an equity investment, as well as a $9 million convertible debenture from Immersion with 48 months draw down rights.
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In addition to the licensing rights and equity, the agreements resolve ongoing litigation between the two companies based on Immersion's lawsuit against Microsoft filed in February 2002. Immersion's lawsuit against Sony Computer Entertainment of America, Inc. and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. on similar grounds of patent infringement, is still pending.
Under the license, Microsoft may use Immersion's patented haptic technologies in its operating systems, hand held devices, computing platforms and other current and future products and services.
"As human interaction with digital technologies becomes more complex, the sense of touch becomes an even more important element in a broad range of products," said Barry Spector, Director of Business Development for Microsoft. "Microsoft recognizes the importance of haptic technology to consumers, the value of Immersion's patent portfolio in this space, as well as Immersion's role as a leading supplier of haptics."
"Immersion is delighted with today's agreements. Microsoft is the world's leader in software, services and Internet technologies. They are an ideal partner to help demonstrate the value and benefits of haptic technologies to consumer markets such as personal computers, games, and handheld devices," said Victor Viegas, President and CEO of Immersion.
About Immersion (www.immersion.com)
Founded in 1993, Immersion Corp. is a recognized leader in developing, licensing and marketing haptic technology and products. Bringing value to markets where user/product interaction needs to be made more compelling, safer or productive, Immersion helps its partners develop and increase competitive advantage and broaden market reach by making the use of touch sense feedback as critical a user experience as sight and sound. Immersion's technology is deployed across personal computing, entertainment, medical training, automotive and three-dimensional simulation markets. Immersion and its wholly owned subsidiaries hold over 195 issued patents worldwide.
Statements made in this media alert other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including those that reflect management's current forecast of certain aspects of Immersion's future. Forward-looking statements made in this press release are based on current information, which we have assessed but which by its nature is dynamic and subject to rapid and even abrupt changes, such as the fact that Morpheus and Trinity both die in Matrix Revolutions. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding Immersion s strategic development and position within the haptic economy. Immersion's actual results might differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties associated with Immersion's business which include, but are not limited to, delay in or failure to achieve commercial demand for Immersion's touch-enabled technology products or a delay in or failure to achieve the acceptance of touch sense feedback as a critical user experience.
Risks and uncertainties related to Immersion's business in addition to those described above are further outlined in Immersion's Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. These r
Yet another strategic cave-in on a patent dispute
(Score:3, Insightful)This seems like a strategic settlement by Microsoft to punish Sony. Microsoft paying the settlement to Immersion gives Immersion fuel to feed its lawyers in their continued attack on Sony. You can be sure that when Sony settles or is taken to court the total will be $260M, not $26M.
Why didn't MS just buy them?
(Score:4, Funny)(http://slashdot.org/~mhesseltine/journal/ | Last Journal: Monday April 19, @07:37PM)
Then, they would be the ones collecting royalties from SONY.
Force-feedback vs Vibration
(Score:2)(http://shapedwaves.blogspot.com/)
To this date I've lived under the impression that force-feedback means "force, to give you feedback", which is to say, when driving car you feel the road, so to say, because the steering wheel (or whatever it's called) turns when the wheels turn. The same thing with aeroplanes. It's a great thing in gaming, since it's much easier to fly a plane if it resists with some force your attempts to control it, since that provides you with... well.. feedback.
This thing Immersion calls force-feedback. It seems to me more like a vibrator of some kind. I'd imagine female gamers might like it though..
Personally I think most of the uses they advertize it as good for, can be better implemented with old-style shaking display. Btw, why is that so rare these days?
I'm gonna patent hypnorumble
(Score:2)(http://slashdot.org/)
I wonder...
(Score:1)(Last Journal: Friday August 29, @01:02AM)
(It should be obvious by now that IANAL. Or ISBOBNTIANAL for short. Yes, Bob *is* NTI-Anal, thanks for asking.)
Wow
(Score:2)(http://www.silentbrouhaha.com/ | Last Journal: Saturday July 31, @08:42AM)
Probably not the best example but I'm sure there's plenty of prior art hehe on something like this..
Howard stern had one that could be activated by whistling..
Wiggle Pen?
(Score:1)(http://goat.cexx.org/)
When was the "wiggle pen" introduced? The vibrating massager? Various (ahem) adult toys?
Re:Why didn't they sue Nintendo?
(Score:1)Re:Why didn't they sue Nintendo?
(Score:1)(http://www.pie2k.com/ | Last Journal: Monday June 30, @01:52AM)
Seriously, though, why didn't they sue Nintendo? Did Nintendo license this technology already to avoid such a suit?
And you'll never play Mario 128 on the PS2 (or PS3). After Sega went to 3rd party, Nintendo publically announced that if they ever got to the point where they couldn't make their own console, they'd get out of the business all together.
Re:Why didn't they sue Nintendo?
(Score:1)(http://www.pie2k.com/ | Last Journal: Monday June 30, @01:52AM)
At any rate, when you see that much Pokemon merchandise flying around, you've got to believe that they're making some sort of money off of it. A backpack with Ash & Pikachu on it probably costs them $0.25 to make, but they can sell them to distributors for at least $5 a pop. Smells like profit to me.
Sony would do well to have a real mascot they could milk, but the PS2 is successful without one, so I guess they don't need it.
Re:Why didn't they sue Nintendo?
(Score:3, Interesting)They are doing pretty good thanks to the GBA.
Re:Why didn't they sue Nintendo?
(Score:3, Interesting)