Nintendo 3DS News: Company Found Guilty of Patent Infringement Over 3D Technology

Nintendo has been found guilty by a federal jury of patent infringement over use of the 3D technology found in the company's 3DS.

Inventor Seijiro Tomita, a former employee of Sony, sued Nintendo in 2011 over use of the 3D without glasses technology he had patented, according to Reuters. Nintendo countered that the 3D technology they use does not, in fact, use key aspects of Tomita's design, but the jury did not find this to be the case. Tomita has been awarded $30.2 million in damages as a result of the verdict.

Joe Diamante, Tomita's attorney, has released this statement via email after the verdict was reached.

"We are thankful to the jurors for their diligence and hard work...It has been a honor to represent Mr. Tomita and to protect his invention."

Nintendo has also released a statement to IGN following the verdict.

"Nintendo is confident that the result will be set aside. The jury's verdict will not impact Nintendo's continued sales in the United States of its highly acclaimed line of video game hardware, software and accessories, including the Nintendo 3DS. Nintendo has a long history of developing innovative products while respecting the intellectual property rights of others."

While this certainly is a blow to Nintendo, it will do little from stopping the company from marketing and selling the 3DS worldwide. Tomita deserves his compensation, but the 30 million or so he is to receive is a drop in the bucket of what Nintendo has made with his technology. Nintendo has a fairly good reputation among video game manufacturers, so to hear this news is a mild shock for fans of the company. After all, Nintendo prides itself on making family friendly games and software, so to hear them convicted of patent infringement is extraordinary.