Tag: Legal - Page 4
News Nintendo's "Illegal" Pre-Order System Issue Has Been Passed On To German Authorities
In breach of EU consumer law?
Norway's authorities have claimed that Nintendo is in breach of EU consumer law, asking Germany (the home of Nintendo of Europe) to take action. Earlier this year, the Norwegian Consumer Council argued that four major online gaming stores had broken the Norwegian Consumer Act by employing...
News Warner Bros. Hits Back At Bethesda's Fallout Shelter Lawsuit, Describes Claim As "Baseless"
How will things unfold?
Just last week we reported on the news that Bethesda had filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. and Behaviour Interactive over the new Westworld mobile game. The studio claimed that the game uses code that was originally created for Fallout Shelter, and there seemed to be some pretty fishy evidence to back...
News PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Creator Drops Lawsuit Against Fortnite
Victory legale
About a month ago PUBG Corp - the company behind the incredibly successful "Battle Royale" title PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds - issued a copyright violation lawsuit against Epic Games, makers of Fortnite. In case you've been living under a rock for the past year, Fortnite is currently one of the biggest...
News Epic Is Suing Former Employee For Leaking Major Fortnite Details Before Release
Claims a non-disclosure agreement has been breached
A former employee of Epic Games is reportedly being sued by the company for leaking details surrounding Fortnite's fourth season, sharing information on its themes and plot points before its official release. As the game's third season was coming to a close, excitement began to rise amongst...
News Bethesda Sues Warner Bros. Claiming Fallout Shelter Code Has Been Stolen
New Westworld mobile game looks suspicious...
Fallout series developer and publisher Bethesda is reportedly suing Warner Bros. and Behaviour Interactive over the new Westworld mobile game, claiming it uses code originally created for Fallout Shelter. Fallout Shelter is a free-to-play game which recently arrived on Nintendo Switch, tasking...
News Federal Government Is Officially Investigating Nintendo For Possible Patent Infringement
Switch sales may be put on hold
Following accusations from accessories company Gamevice that Nintendo violated its patent on a “Combination Computing Device and Game Controller with Flexible Bridge Section”, the US Trade Commission has now officially launched an investigation into the complaint. While Gamevice’s initial lawsuit filing last...
News Nyko Is Being Taken To Court Over A Bricked Switch Console
You could say the company was "in the dock"...
Switch owner Michael Skiathitis has filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. district court of central California against peripheral manufacturer Nyko after one of the company's docks bricked his console. Nyko's docks proved popular upon release as they were smaller and cheaper than the real thing, but...
News Niantic Settles Pokémon GO Fest Class Action Suit With $1.6 Million Payout
That's a lot of microtransaction revenue
Remember Pokémon GO Fest? It was supposed to be the crowning glory of Niantic's popular smartphone title, but it ended in chaos thanks to numerous technical problems which prevented many of the players present from even taking part. Despite efforts to smooth things over after the du
News That Japanese "Dragon Quest Law" Is Actually An Urban Myth
The creators behind the franchise spill the beans
Those of you versed in video game history will be aware of a story relating to the astonishing popularity of Dragon Quest, one of Japan's most beloved RPGs. Back when the series was just starting out on the Famicom, kids and adults alike would bunk off school or work to buy it and spend an entire day...
News The Games Industry Reacts To The White House's Violent Games Showreel
"Everyone associated with those games should be ashamed of themselves"
Last week, U.S. president Donald Trump held a meeting with industry executives to discuss the issue of violence in video games, a meeting which was viewed by many as a way of scapegoating interactive entertainment in relation to the recent spate of school shootings in the...
News White House Meeting With Industry Execs Focuses On Violence In Video Games
"This is violent, isn’t it?"
Yesterday, U.S. president Donald Trump held a meeting with video game executives regarding the issue of violence in video games, an event which was triggered by a recent series of high school shootings in the country. Trump himself has stated the opinion that the shooting in Parkland, Florida could have...
News Nintendo is Suing Mobile Game Company Colopl For $40 Million
Ouch!
Nintendo has reportedly filed a lawsuit against Japanese mobile game company Colopl, currently asking for a rather staggering $40 million in damages. According to an official statement from Colopl, Nintendo has claimed that five tech patent rights have been violated in the game Shiro Neko Project. One of these patents is said to involve...
News Tiny Metal Director Accused Of Scamming Kickstarter Backers To Fund Game
"Toxic employee" attacks Project Phoenix director
Remember Project Phoenix? It was a 2013 Kickstarter project which raised a whopping $1,014,600 from 15,802 backers off the back of the lofty promise that it would unite Japan's RPG talent to create the ultimate real-time strategy title. In 2015 director and project leader Hiroaki Yura...
News Nintendo Takes Down Super Mario 64 Online Videos And Creator's Patreon
But mod remains available for download
A short time ago we reported on Super Mario 64 Online, an ingenious mod which allows up to 24 players to inhabit the world of Super Mario 64. Its creator, Kaze Emanuar, was bullish about his chances of avoiding Nintendo's legal gaze, but it would seem that the Japanese giant has finally had enough. It has...
News Federal Court Says Police Sketch Patent Asserted Against Miis Should Never Have Been Granted
Another legal victory for Nintendo
Nintendo is a cash-rich company with plenty of unique ideas, so it should come as no surprise to learn that companies looking to make a fast buck in patent disputes target the Japanese veteran on a regular basis. However, Nintendo's deep pockets mean that it's quite prepared to fight such claims, and last week a...
News Fan-Made Zelda Title Breath Of The NES Gets Hit With Inevitable Takedown Notice
Development will continue, as planned
When we reported on Breath of the NES, Winter Drake's 8-bit take on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the indie developer made it clear that if Nintendo did decide to take legal action to prevent distribution of the game then production would co
News United States Appeals Court Rules In Nintendo's Favour In Tomita Technologies 3DS Patent Case
Another one bites the dust
It looks as if the saga of Seijiro Tomita's patent case against the Nintendo 3DS is finally coming to an end. The United States Appeals Court has just confirmed that handheld console does not use technology covered in a patent asserted by Tomita Technologies USA, Inc. and Tomita Technologies International, Inc, stating...
News Turns Out That Leaked Nintendo Switch Was Stolen And Illegally Resold
Those responsible "under investigation by local law enforcement"
Remember that Switch console which got opened up and recorded by NeoGAF user hiphoptherobot? Turns out it was actually stolen by an employee of a U.S. distributor in an "isolated incident", and was illegally resold. The individuals responsible are apparently "under investigation" and...
News Nintendo Shuts Down Another Pokémon Fan Project
"I'm sorry everyone, but Pokémon Prism is cancelled"
A short while ago Nintendo made the news for shutting down Pokémon Uranium, a fan-made title which gained so much positive press it was even nominated at the 2016 Game Awards this year - before it and Metroid II remake AM2R were
News NES Visual Compendium Dispute Comes To An End, Kickstarter Resumes For Final 24 Hours
A happy end
Bitmap Books appears to have come to some agreement with Nintendo of America regarding the intellectual property dispute on its NES: A Visual Compendium book. The publication - which is part of Bitmap's Visual Compendium range - had proved to be a massive crowdfunding success on
News Digger Dan DX Dispute Settled, Will Be Back On Sale "As Soon As Possible"
"We have already settled this issue to our mutual satisfaction"
At the weekend we reported on the news that the likeable title Digger Dan DX had been removed from the 3DS eShop due to a takedown notice from First Star Software, the company which owns the rights to the thematically similar Boulder Dash. It would appear that this problem has now been...
News Texas Court Ruling States That Game Mechanics Can't Be Protected by Copyright
As long as it looks different, it's acceptable
It's always an interesting debate when discussing whether or not one game is stepping on another's toes when it comes to the actual way that each game plays. After one game innovates and does something new, subsequent games that copy that are sometimes viewed as "clones" that offer very little in the...
News You'll Now Be Able To Play Mini-Games During Loading Times
Bandai Namco's "Ridge Racer" patent has expired
Once upon a time, consoles were sold on the fact that they loaded software instantly without the waiting times associated with formats that used tapes, floppies or sluggish CD drives, but these days that distinction has all but vanished, with some next-gen releases making players stare at...
News Donkey Kong Champ Billy Mitchell Loses Legal Battle Against Regular Show Parody
"GBF appears as a non-human creature, a giant floating head with no body"
Famed games player Billy Mitchell has lost his legal battle against his depiction in the Cartoon Network's The Regular Show. The character - known as GBF (Garrett Bobby Ferguson or Giant Bearded Face) - is a floating head with arms who is revealed to be an alien who cheats at...
News Nintendo Wins Patent Case Against Handhelds
Portables don't fit mold of "Computerized Information Retrieval System"
When you make things nowadays, especially in the realm of technology, odds are increasingly good that you will run into someone claiming patent infringement on your creation. Sometimes the plaintiff is in the right; other times they're just money-hungry patent trolls. Either...
News Here's Why The StreetPass Bunny Couldn't Care Less If You Don't Buy His Games In Europe
Grumpy in North America and Japan, but chilled out in Europe. What gives?
Yesterday saw the launch of not one but two new 3DS StreetPass games, and triggered a rush of Nintendo fans opening their consoles and handing over digital funds for both titles. However, depending on which region you're in, you will have gotten a slightly different reaction...
News The Man Who Created Trollface Wants A Cut Of Meme Run's Earnings
"I don’t think he knows what the consequences of ignoring me are"
Remember Ninja Pig's Meme Run? The game hit the Wii U eShop recently and caused quite a stir, not only for its pretty terrible quality but also because it apparently used the popular "Trollface" Meme without the permission of the original creator. The end result was that the game...
News Super Mario 64 HD Creator Bows To Legal Action And Removes Game From The Web
"I didn't really expect for this project to get so popular"
Man, Super Mario 64 HD was looking sweet. A totally free fan-made project built in Unity, its aim was to give Nintendo fans an updated version of the N64 classic. Sadly, Nintendo wasn't too pleased and issued a take-down notice earlier this week. Shocked by the level of fame his game has...
News Actor Is Suing Nintendo After Suffering Heart Problems In A Sweltering Donkey Kong Suit
Legal teams are going bananas
When actor Parker Mills stepped into a Donkey Kong costume to promote the launch of Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D at the Los Angeles Zoo last year, he most likely assumed the job would be a piece of cake — after all, what's better than being the mighty Kong for a day, right? However, Mills ended up earning more than...
News Hyperkin's RetroN 5 Console Allegedly Infringes On The Rights Of Multiple Emulator Authors
Team behind RetroArch says Hyperkin is using emulators without permission
Hyperkin's RetroN 5 console is a fantastic way to enjoy old classics, and offers plenty of benefits over existing clone retro systems, largely because it uses advanced software emulation to offer HD visuals and other benefits. However, it would appear that Hyperkin can't...
News Gearbox Attempts To Extract Itself From Aliens: Colonial Marines Class Action Lawsuit
States that Sega "vetted, approved and accepted" the critically-panned game
While many of us have all but forgotten the ill-fated Aliens: Colonial Marines — a title which was released to scathing reviews and would eventually be cancelled on Wii U — publisher Sega and developer Gearbox Software are still fighting a
News Philips Claims Wii And Wii U Infringe Two Of Its Patents, Seeks Ban In The United States
Dutch electronics giant seeking compensation package, too
Dutch electronics manufacturer Philips is claiming that the Nintendo Wii and Wii U systems infringe on two of its patents — one of which dates back to 1996. According to Dutch site NU, Philips has submitted documents in the United States which call for a ban on selling both systems in that...
News Nintendo Involved In Patent Dispute Over Wii U's Dual Screen Capabilities
It's that time again
Nintendo is no stranger to patent cases, and it has been revealed that the company is involved in yet another — this time relating to the Wii U's selling point: its ability to display two screens at once. Nintendo Co. Ltd., Nintendo of America, Inc. and several other companies — including retailers who sell the system in...
News As The Maker Of Flappy Bird Withdraws His Creation, Nintendo Denies Any Legal Complaint
Japanese firm has no issue with the game's visuals
Unless you've been living down an especially deep well for the past week or so, you'll have heard of the name Flappy Bird. The smartphone title has attracted an astonishing amount of interest both from within and outside the games industry, and its creator Dong Nguyen apparently made $50,000 USD a...
News Dallas Tech Company iLife Thinks Nintendo Stole Its Idea For Motion Control
Federal lawsuit has been filed by the firm
A Dallas-based technology company has filed a federal lawsuit against Nintendo claiming that the Japanese video game manufacturer has violated six of its patents by including motion-sensing tech in its Wii and Wii U consoles. iLife Technologies and Solutions — which claims to invent "innovative...
News Full Screen Mario Web Game Closed Down Following Nintendo's Copyright Complaint
Popular HTML5 remake is no more
In mid-October we told you about Full Screen Mario, a free, open-source HTML5 web version of the original Super Mario Bros., the work of college student Josh Goldberg. The site attracted publicity due to its recreation of the original game, as well as a random map generator and level creator. With publicity came the...
News Nintendo Wants To Close Down This Open-Source Web Version Of Super Mario Bros.
"Full Screen Mario" infringes copyrights, claims Nintendo
Full Screen Mario is a recreation of the original Super Mario Bros. which runs in your web browser. It has all of the original levels and even allows you to create your own stages. It's an impressive feat of programming by a single person — college student Josh Goldberg — but Nintendo is...
News Illegal Nintendo Clones Are Running Rampant On Windows Store
Fancy Mario Jump!, Bowser Town Defense, Pokemon Attack! or Yoshijump?
Games which illegally use Nintendo characters are flooding the Windows Store, according to a report by Develop. Titles such as Mario Jump!, Bowser Town Defense, Pokemon Attack! are Yoshijump are all available now for download on Windows 8 devices — some of these games have been...
News Nintendo May Have Eased Off On Its Claims To 'Let's Play' Ad Revenues
Popular YouTuber says he's making money on Nintendo content again
Last month we reported on Nintendo's move to put a block on 'Let's Play' videos on YouTube monetising any of its copyrighted content. Essentially, the company claimed the rights to any revenue generated from user-created video content that is long enough to get an advert placed at the...
News Nintendo Claiming Ad Revenue On YouTube User-Generated Gameplay Videos
"We continually want our fans to enjoy sharing Nintendo content on YouTube"
According to various reports from YouTube users, Nintendo is filing content ID claims against user-created "Let's Play" videos, which thereby prevents the user from monetizing their videos with adverts — allowing Nintendo to pocket all of the revenue. Most videos won't...
News Nintendo Wins Appeals Court Ruling In Wii Patent Case
Previous ITC ruling upheld
The US Court of Appeals has upheld a previous ruling by the International Trade Commission finding that Nintendo did not infringe on patents held by Motiva by importing its Wii console. Motiva held two patents relating to a setup for measuring user movement for the purposes of health and fitness. Back in 2008, the...
News Nintendo Accused Of Infringing Trademark With Wii U WaraWara Plaza
Restaurant owner Monteroza is less than happy
Restaurant chain owner Monteroza has filed a claim against Nintendo over the use of its "WaraWara Plaza" trademark. Monteroza — which operates 300 restaurants in the far east and runs a chain of Japanese-style public houses under the brand Wara-wara — filed a request with the Japanese Patent Office...
News Sega and Gearbox Sued By Irate Gamer Over "Misleading" Aliens: Colonial Marines Footage
In court, no one can hear you scream
When Sega canned the Wii U version of Aliens: Colonial Marines it probably hoped that it would draw a line under what has been an especially torrid project for the publisher. The highly-anticipated game launched on other formats to scathing reviews and nightmarish stories from people involved wi
News Nintendo's Legal Team Forces Mobile Dev To Make Lead Character Less Yoshi-Like
"We are cooperating with Nintendo about the changes required"
Smartphone clones of popular console titles are nothing new, but Android game Era's Adventure took shameless pillaging to an entirely new level; its lead character — by the developer's own admission — was Yoshi. Unsurprisingly, Nintendo's lawyers have been in touch and Era's...
News Nintendo Responds To Guilty Verdict In 3D Patent Case
"Nintendo is confident that the result will be set aside"
Nintendo has responded to the guilty verdict issued in its case against former Sony inventor Seijiro Tomita, who won $30.2 million in damages after insisting that Nintendo stole his idea for 3D display technology. The statement reads as follows: A jury awarded $30.2 million in damages to...
News Nintendo Loses 3D Patent Case Against Former Sony Inventor
Ordered to pay $30.2 million in damages
A few weeks ago, we reported that Nintendo was being taken to court by former Sony staffer Seijiro Tomita, who insisted that the Kyoto company stole his idea for glasses-free 3D screens and used it on the Nintendo 3DS. Tomita's claim was that he demonstrated the tech to Nintendo in 2003, and that several of...
News Level-5 Responds To SEGA's Legal Threats Regarding Inazuma Eleven
"We've concluded that there is no patent violation"
Japanese developer Level-5 has responded to SEGA's recent legal campaign to have the company remove its Inzauma Eleven series from sale due to an alleged patent infringement. SEGA is claiming that Level-5's soccer RPG features a touch-driven interface which violates two of its patents. The...
News SEGA Takes Legal Action Against Level-5 Over Nintendo DS Patent Dispute
Inazuma Eleven to blame?
In one of the strangest turn of events we've witnessed for a while, Japanese publisher SEGA is suing Professor Layton studio Level-5 over the use of touch control patents on the Nintendo DS handheld. Japanese news site Yomiuri Online broke the news, revealing that SEGA was taking action to protect two patents it had...
News Nintendo To Appeal French Flash Card Case
Company "extremely disappointed" with ruling
DS flash card manufacturer Divineo won big in France earlier this week, and Nintendo is not happy about it. A lawsuit filed by Nintendo against the company was thrown out in Paris’ Criminal Court earlier this week, with the judge saying that Nintendo should adopt a more open development system to allow...
News Nintendo vs R4: The Lawsuit and the Snitch
A very un-Harry Potter like snitch website opens to combat R4 and their brethren
A while ago Nintendo won a lawsuit against retailers that sold and distributed R4 and R4-like devices. In case you didn't know, these are essentially carts which allow consumers to pirate DS games. Since then, those retailers were sent notices updating them on the...