Nintendo Wins $8 Million Lawsuit After 15 Years

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Lately, the company has gained a reputation for often suing others. However, sometimes these lawsuits are justified, and it’s clear their legal team is highly skilled, given their history of winning cases.

Nintendo recently concluded a 15-year legal battle, winning a lawsuit worth $8.2 million. The case, against the well-known video game company, has finally been resolved.

Nintendo Just Won a Wii Lawsuit After 15 Years

The Nintendo Wii, Nintendo’s seventh home console, came out in 2006 and quickly became a huge hit, especially from the mid to late 2000s. It eventually became Nintendo’s best-selling home console, holding that position until the Nintendo Switch came along. This success attracted attention from other companies, and unfortunately, some tried to profit from it illegally.

Nacon, previously known as BigBen Interactive, faced a lawsuit from Nintendo fifteen years ago. Nintendo claimed Nacon copied the design of the Wii Remote, Nintendo’s groundbreaking and distinctive controller, violating a European patent.

So, way back in 2011, a court ruled that BigBen basically copied Nintendo’s Wii Remote design. But here’s the thing – BigBen argued that if they hadn’t made their controllers, we gamers would have just bought similar knock-offs from other companies anyway. The court agreed it was super likely those other companies were also breaking Nintendo’s patent, and that’s why this whole legal battle dragged on for over ten years! It was a mess, honestly.

After more than seven years, the court has reached a decision in this initial phase of the case, highlighting how long it can take to resolve patent infringement lawsuits in Germany. A key tactic used by BigBen to slow down the process was repeatedly rejecting the court’s chosen expert.

BigBen is now facing higher costs due to previous delays. The interest added to the claim – which is 5% above the standard rate – has dramatically increased the amount BigBen owes, and now makes up a large portion of the total claim of almost EUR 7 million.

Nacon must pay Nintendo $8.2 million to cover damages, interest, and legal costs. Nacon is challenging this decision, but Nintendo’s legal team points out that rulings like this, where the amount of money owed is determined, are unusual in Germany. The court determined that without Nacon’s products, Nintendo would have made all of those sales themselves.

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2025-12-29 20:11