Former Sony Employee Sues Nintendo Over 3DS Screen Tech

The 3DS's must unique feature -- its glasses-free 3D display -- has gotten Nintendo sued. Tomita Technologies alleges in a lawsuit filed in a New York district court last month that Nintendo is violating a patent, number 7,417,664, which was filed for in 2003 by Seijiro Tomita and issued in August 2008.
Tomita is described in the complaint as an "accomplished scientist and engineer" who worked at Sony for nearly 30 years before retiring in 2002. He began filing for patents after leaving the company, dozens of which now exist that list him as the inventor or co-inventor.

"Mr. Tomita has done substantial research and development in the area of stereoscopic display technology. Among other things, Mr. Tomita invented and developed technology relating to displaying stereoscopic (3-D) images on-screen for viewing with the naked eye, i.e., without utilizing glasses or other devices," the lawsuit states. "The '664 patent asserted in this action covers 3-D technology invented and developed by Mr. Tomita." It also says the Japan Patent Office has granted him a similar patent to the one in question.

No specifics were cited for how the 3DS violates the patent.

This is hardly the first time Nintendo has been targeted by patent holders. The Wii's "trigger" got it sued back in 2006; the Wii remote itself was almost banned before the decision was overturned; another company went after the Wii remote again; and even Wii Fit has been targeted.

Prior to its release, Nintendo was concerned about a different sort of lawsuit, which is what prompted the company's warning about children using the system's 3D effect.