Nintendo Triumphs in 15-Year Wii Remote Legal Dispute, Could See $8 Million Payout, But an Appeal Means More Delays Ahead

Nintendo has made significant strides in a patent dispute that has dragged on for 15 long years. However, BigBen Interactive, now known as Nacon, has already filed an appeal against a German court’s ruling that requires them to pay approximately $8.2 million in damages and legal fees. It seems like another lengthy wait is on the horizon.

In a press release dated December 16, Nintendo of Europe’s legal team expressed their satisfaction with the “remarkable” ruling. Patent attorney Christof Karl and IP lawyer Pascal Böhner noted that it’s rare for German patent law cases to determine damages in this manner.

“What’s particularly noteworthy is that the court assumed Nintendo would have captured 100% of the sales made by BigBen,” the lawyers stated, “without accounting for any third-party suppliers in the market.” The original lawsuit, initiated in 2010, challenged what Nintendo’s legal team described as an “ergonomic” third-party controller that BigBen was marketing, which included features reminiscent of the Wii Remote.

While the Mannheim Regional Court had already ruled in 2011 that BigBen had infringed on Nintendo’s Wii Remote patent, both parties spent the next 14 years debating the validity of that patent. Eventually, courts in Germany and across Europe sided with Nintendo in 2017 and 2018, but BigBen has now appealed this latest ruling favoring Nintendo.

“The judgment is therefore not yet final,” Nintendo’s lawyers acknowledged, “but it is provisionally enforceable against provision of security.” The Wii Remote continues to be at the center of legal battles, always in the spotlight but never quite getting its due.

So, while the legal drama unfolds, why not dive into one of the 25 best Wii games of all time?