Royal Philips wins patent ruling over Nintendo’s Wii

British judge finds games firm infringed two patents for recognising hand gestures and motion

A Nintendo Wii game console sits on display. The company said it would appeal a decision by the a UK court that it violated two patents  for recognising hand gestures and motion on the Wii. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg News
A Nintendo Wii game console sits on display. The company said it would appeal a decision by the a UK court that it violated two patents for recognising hand gestures and motion on the Wii. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg News

Royal Philips has won a UK court ruling in a global battle over patents for recognising hand gestures and motion on Nintendo's Wii computer-gaming devices.

Judge Colin Birss said a Nintendo unit infringed two Philips patents, but found Nintendo, the world's largest maker of video games, didn't violate a third patent pertaining to modeling a body in a virtual environment.

Nintendo said the two patents are invalid and it will seek to appeal the decision.

The company has been selling the device in the UK since 2006.

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"We believe Nintendo infringed the patents and have tried to settle since 2011, but as that hasn't worked out we had to take this step," said Bjorn Teuwsen, a spokesman for Philips. (Bloomberg)