Motiva claims that Nintendo's Wii technology is in violation of a patent it holds for "a 'Human Movement Measurement System' comprising a hand-held tracking device in communication with a base station that can be used to create an interactive gaming experience." That patent application was filed in July 2004 and granted November 2007.

The 'Human Movement Measurement System' application can be read at Google Patents.

The silver lining from the case is the hilarious quote from attorney W. Mark Lanier, who represents Motiva: "Using someone else's technology without permission is theft. Nintendo makes video games where you get to play a thief, but that doesn't give them the right to be one."

It also doesn't give Nintendo the legal right to stomp turtles, assault Moblins or deliberately trick us about their gender by wearing asexual bounty hunter space suits.

The Lanier Law Firm Announces Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Nintendo Over Wii Video Game Technology

TYLER, Texas, Nov 11, 2008 — Attorney W. Mark Lanier of The Lanier Law Firm is announcing a patent infringement lawsuit filed against Kyoto, Japan-based video game giant Nintendo Co. Ltd. and its U.S. subsidiary on behalf of a small Ohio technology company based on claims that Nintendo infringed the company's patented technology to produce the popular Wii video game.
The lawsuit, Motiva, LLC v. Nintendo Co., LTD, et al., No. 6:08-cv-429, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas/Tyler Division on Nov. 10, 2008. Dublin, Ohio-based Motiva is represented by W. Mark Lanier, Christopher Banys and Daniel Bedell from The Lanier Law Firm, and Wesley Hill from Tyler's Ireland, Carroll & Kelley.

The Motiva patent, U.S. Patent No. 7,292,151, was granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in November 2007 following a patent application filed in July 2004. Nintendo began selling its Wii video game in November 2006.

The asserted patent involves technology used to create a "Human Movement Measurement System" comprising a hand-held tracking device in communication with a base station that can be used to create an interactive gaming experience, among other capabilities. Nintendo's Wii video game system uses an interactive hand-held remote in communication with a base station to reproduce users' movements on televisions and other display screens.

"Using someone else's technology without permission is theft," says Mr. Lanier, counsel for Motiva. "Nintendo makes video games where you get to play a thief, but that doesn't give them the right to be one."
In May of this year, Nintendo was hit with a $21 million patent infringement verdict in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas/Lufkin Division. In that case, jurors found that Nintendo infringed several patents to produce the Wii remote control device.

With offices in Los Angeles, Palo Alto, Houston and New York, The Lanier Law Firm is committed to addressing client concerns with effective and innovative solutions in courtrooms across the country. The firm is composed of outstanding trial attorneys with decades of experience handling cases involving personal injury, pharmaceutical liability, asbestos exposure, intellectual property, business litigation, product liability, toxic exposure and maritime law.

The allegations, according to the lawsuit and an open letter written to John Madden back in September, charge that Take-Two's brief entry into the football sim market earlier this decade caused EA and the Union to strike a fast, below-market deal locking up certain Hall of Fame players' images in Madden.

Other players alleged that their likenesses are identifiable and used, without permission, among the 143 vintage teams included or unlockable in Madden over the years. They got their hands on communications showing how EA and the Union attempted to "scramble" the appearances by giving them different numbers, but players contended they were still reasonably identified by traits such as position, playing statistics, and the years they played.

A federal jury in San Francisco ruled for the players, awarding them $7.1 million for the use of their likenesses and $20.9 million in punitive damages.

"There are 143 vintage team games from Electronic Arts. These are teams that are people's favorite,'' the players' attorney told the jury. "These men did nothing but trust their union.'' The union argued that only active players were covered by the agreements.

"The decision is contrary to the law and it's an unjust verdict and we are confident it will be overturned,'' said union lawyer Jeffrey Kessler.

The lead plaintiff in the suit was Herb Adderley, a former defensive back with the Green Bay Packers who played from 1961 to 1972.

Retired NFL Players Win $28 Million in Royalties From Union [Bloomberg News]

These two suits, reported today by GamePolitics, seek class action status and join a third filed in September over the use of DRM in Spore.

The first suit, lodged by a Pennsylvania man who installed the Spore trial, says that the installation of DRM on a freely distributed program "constitutes a major violation of computer owners' absolute right to control what does and what does not get loaded onto their computers, and how their computers shall be used." The suit says the EULA for the trial made "utterly no mention of any Technical Protection Measures, DRM technology, or SecuROM whatsoever."

The second, filed by a Missouri woman, says that after installing DRM-protected The Sims 2: Bon Voyage, she began experiencing problems with her PC. Backup CDs with Sims 2 game content were no longer recognized by her competer; neither were files saved on her USB flash drive or iPod. She rid herself of the DRM and the problems only by reformatting her PC. She accuses EA of engaging in "unfair business practices" as well as conduct that is "immoral, unethical, oppressive [and] unscrupulous ..."

No, we have not contacted EA for comment. I'm sure they'd either say they haven't read the suit and can't comment on it, or they have and don't comment on pending litigation. Either way, it's out there. Someone's accusing EA of bad business practices in more than just a Reddit thread.

New Class-Action Suits Target EA, SecuROM, The Sims & Spore Creature Creator [Gamepolitics]

His latest salvo is novel, however, in that it's a freaking third-party motion in the courtroom pugilistics involving Blizzard and MDY Industries. Riches' motion, no doubt handwritten on notebook paper, claims World of Warcraft turned his mind "into a living video game" that forced him to live "in a virtual universe, where [I] explored the landscape committing identity theft and fighting cybermonster rival hacker gangs."

Taking the claim at face value, the problem is not that Warcraft ate Riches' brain; it's the idea that Warcraft is being played by inmates. I smell a powerlevelling prison labor scandal!

Prison Inmate Sues Blizzard Over WoW Addiction [1Up]

"The people of our city do not need a daily reminder that Washington is a prime target for an attack. We do not need a daily reminder of what our worst fears look like."

The advertisements depict a post-apocalyptic District, with a caved-in Capitol dome, ruined Washington Monument and flags, and big mean enemy soldiers that are like scary'n stuff.

"Since any First Amendment objection would be irrelevant (the ads do not present a true viewpoint or political message and would therefore not be protected), there is no reason for these ads to be part of our daily panorama."

No, jackass, but that's not even the point. The speech is protected by a fucking advertising contract. You know why they sell ads on a public transit system? It indirectly helps keep your fares low and more trains in service when you want them. But if you want WMATA to break that contract, I'll refer you to this case. And you know why that pisses me off? Not because of your amateur Constitutional scholarship, or your whingeing that a video game frightens you and therefore should frighten others. It's because if that contract is broken, WMATA is partially federally funded, and I'm not sure that my taxes wouldn't be paying some lawyer somewhere because of your teeth-sucking know-it-all lecture on what's appropriate and where. But the bottom line, you seem to be the only one offended by this. That's not enough of a mandate.

Update: The more I think about this, the madder I get. What really pisses me off is this is an advertisement for a video game. Because someone chooses to see it as "a reminder of what our worst fears look like," doesn't make it that. It's the same culture-of-fear garbage retailed by our government to the mainstream media for the past seven years, and I'm sick and tired of it.

Ruining Our Metro Ride [Washington Post via GamePolitics]

Back in April, Chicago saw a headline-grabbing wave of violence — close to 40 shootings, seven of them fatal, 13 of the casualties school age. Around that time the GTA ads went up on city buses, like they were in other cities, per a $300,000 contract between Take-Two and the city. Because local television's business model depends heavily on the exploitation of others' fear and misery for profit, Fox News Chicago called up a bunch of chickenshit pols and huffed about the appropriateness of the ads. So they were taken down. Take-Two then sued for breach of contract.

I'm not sure what the terms of the deal are but maybe this'll teach someone to show a little spine next time some blow-dried shit-for-brains TV reporter waves a microphone in their face.

Take-Two Nearing GTA IV Ad Settlement with Chicago Bus Company [GamePolitics]

Blizzard wins Warcraft bot payout [BBC News]

Plaintiffs demand disgorgement of unjust profits and damages for trespass, interference, unfair competition and consumer law violations.

You can see the full suit in PDF form over at Courthouse News. It's rather lengthy, containing excerpts from EA's FAQ as well as quotes from Amazon.com reviews, oddly enough. Looks like someone's done his homework. EA might even have to assign two lawyers to deal with this one.

'Spore' Hijacks Computers, Class Claims [Courthouse News via GamePolitics - Thanks Brendan]

The suit, filed on July 16 and obtained by Game Daily, is seeking at least $26 million from Ubisoft for breach of license agreement and continued damage.

That money is meant to make up for the licensing fees ResponDesign was expecting from Ubisoft as well as the royalties.

Ultimately, ResponDesign says that Ubisoft "from the outset failed to diligently pursue development of the game, ignored the terms of the license agreement and acted in bad faith." After a while Ubisoft told ResponDesign that the game wouldn't be ready until first quarter of 2009 and the publisher also complained of missing assets. Ubisoft also told ResponDesign in July that it would be changing the name of the game to Yourself!Fitness in the U.S. and Go Fitness in Europe; it was no longer in the "My Coach" line. As of the filing of the suit, Ubisoft has not done any marketing or PR surrounding the game.

We've contacted Ubisoft for comment and will update when and if they respond.

Yourself!Fitness Developer Suing Ubisoft for 'No Less' Than $26 Million [Game Daily]

The real question here is “Why the hell are so many people wasting their entire day playing games on a social networking site?” How is anything getting done, anywhere?

Scrabulous is Back! Its New Name is Wordscraper [Mashable via CNET]

A ban on sales of all GameCube controllers - including GameCubes that come bundled with the infringing controllers — issued by U.S. District Judge Ron Clark is currently on hold while Nintendo appeals the verdict on the Federal level.

If the appeal fails, what are Nintendo's options, and what's the gaming giant saying about the case?

Not much. Nintendo's official comment is pretty limited; "Nintendo was already planning to appeal this case to the Federal Circuit court,'' said spokesman Charlie Scibetta. "The recent ruling by the trial court does not impact that decision."

In the event that the appeal fails, Nintendo has the option of posting bond or paying royalties to be placed in escrow, but citing pending litigation, a rep refused to answer any further questions on what routes Nintendo might take beyond the comment already issued.

The Nintendo Wii remote was found not to violate the patent as long as it's being used without the Wii's Classic controller, and the Nunchuk is exempt, as well.

But who is Texas-based Anascape? Nobody much, apparently. They seem to lack an official website, and even a WhitePages.com search reveals no such business listing in Tyler, Texas. It's an Ltd — Limited liability company — which means it could be simply an investment partnership and not a headquartered office at all.

According to Bloomberg, Anascape's attorney has said that the company wanted to enter the market, but that Nintendo "dogged the channel." When asked for comment, Nintendo also declined to respond to that allegation.

"Nintendo was already planning to appeal this case to the Federal Circuit court,'' Nintendo spokesman Charlie Scibetta said in an e-mailed statement. ``The recent ruling by the trial court does not impact that decision.''

Note that the ban does not affect the Wii remote or nunchuck controllers - just the standard controllers that include analog sticks.

Nintendo Faces Ban on Some Wii, GameCube Controllers [Bloomberg - Thanks Shannon]

MTV News received a response from an MTV spokesperson on the matter — which, in my mind, was shouted across cubicles — who said the lawsuit was "extremely surprising." The rep further noted that "successful products such as 'Rock Band' can often become targets for baseless litigation." We agree, especially when the entity filing suit is showing up extremely late to the party with its own stillborn excuse for a rock game. At least those poor unfortunate litigation lawyers will finally get a few bucks coming to 'em.

Further details on the suit at MTV News.

'Rock Band' Creators Sued By 'Rock Revolution' Publisher Konami [MTV News]

The tech company was seeking $419 million in damages and Microsoft was counter-suing for $11.5 million.

Last February, a federal jury ordered that Microsoft pay $1.5 billion in damages to the telcom equipment maker for violating two patents related to digital music, specifically MP3 encoding and decoding via Windows Media Player. That award was later overturned, and Alcatel is expected to appeal later this year.

That finding and the most recent finding are part of a larger suite of suits that also involve speech coding and the video coding used in the Xbox 360.

Microsoft didn't infringe on video patent, jury finds [San Diego Tribune]

"The real significance of this case is, 'What are the rights of the [virtual world] community members when they go online?'"

IGE's attorney seem to be familiar with the agreement, having argued in court papers that players don't have the right to even bring forth this lawsuit. It's sort of like a person trying to sue a thief who swiped the lawnmower he sometimes borrows from his neighbor. Still, they are ready to fight if need be.

"The stakes are high and our intention is to address [the lawsuit] in court," Miller said.

"We believe that shutting down gold farming and real-money transfer is in the interest of all World of Warcraft players and that a victory in this case would have a positive long-term effect on the online gaming industry as a whole," said Paul Sams, Blizzard Entertainment's chief operating officer

We'll keep you posted in case anything ever comes of this whole mess.

Video game fan asks court to ban real sloth and greed from World of Warcraft [South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com]

Terra Nova has mirrors of the summary judgment motions, as well as a quick little wrap-up; Rock, Paper, Shotgun gets to the nitty gritty and also has a poll (question: 'Should Blizzard crush Glider?' options: 'Aye! Bots = cheating,' 'Nay! Grinding = misery,' 'Ayenay! Blizzard should provide a levelling service themselves' - thus far, 'Aye!' is winning), and PlayNoEvil has some analysis up from a security standpoint.

Blizzard v WoW Glider: Interesting, no? [Terra Nova]; Democracy Inaction: Blizzard vs Bots [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]; World of Warcraft Warden vs. Glider - Which is the Lesser Evil? Who owns my computer? {PlayNoEvil]

It is unfortunate that Gibson unfairly desires to share in the tremendous success enjoyed by the developers of Rock Band and Guitar Hero. This lawsuit is completely without merit and we intend to defend it vigorously.

Gibson's patent, filed nearly 10 years ago, required a 3D display, a real musical instrument and a recording of a concert. Rock Band and Guitar Hero are completely different: among other things they are games, require no headset and use a controller only shaped like a real instrument.

Squeenix's general counsel Yasuhiko Hasegawa offers an apology of sorts to fans who lived for this sort of crap.

While Square Enix appreciates the enthusiasm of its fans, and values its relationship with them, it is also obligated to protect its intellectual property rights or risk weakening or losing the very rights that enable the company to continue to provide its fans with an exciting entertainment experience.

SQUARE ENIX Files Federal Lawsuit Against Alleged Infringers of FINAL FANTASY Franchise

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 12 /PRNewswire/ — SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD., a Tokyo-based leading digital entertainment content company (Square Enix), announced today that it had filed a federal lawsuit in the Central District of California against alleged infringers of Square Enix's intellectual property. The lawsuit names at least four wholesalers of unlicensed sword replicas and their principals, which have willfully infringed four videogames and one CG-animated film in Square Enix's FINAL FANTASY(R) franchise. Additional defendants may be added to this lawsuit. By filing this lawsuit, Square Enix is stepping up its anti-piracy enforcement with aggressive initiatives against individuals and organizations involved in the theft and unauthorized use of the company's intellectual properties. This lawsuit follows multiple confidential settlements with various retailers of similar infringing items, each of which involved the payment of a substantial financial penalty.

The current lawsuit is a result of cooperation with the United States Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Patrol, whose agents seized a crate of counterfeit replica swords. These seized swords had been designed to replicate the unique swords featured in Square Enix's FINAL FANTASY franchise. Square Enix conducted a thorough investigation to identify the primary wholesalers and retailers of these unauthorized products in the United States. The targets of the current lawsuit have refused to cooperate with Square Enix.

"We are actively pursuing those who commit intellectual property infringement against our company," said Yasuhiko Hasegawa, Square Enix's General Counsel. "Any illegal activities, including the sale and distribution of unauthorized replica merchandise and counterfeit jewelry, and the unauthorized copying of Square Enix games, music, movies, images, and other intellectual property, will be prosecuted. While Square Enix appreciates the enthusiasm of its fans, and values its relationship with them, it is also obligated to protect its intellectual property rights or risk weakening or losing the very rights that enable the company to continue to provide its fans with an exciting entertainment experience."

The Complaint (which is, remember, by its nature entirely one-sided) tells a dramatic and undoubtedly controversial story about virtual property company IGE. It starts at the beginning, when the founders allegedly met playing Everquest, and proceeds like a script for a straight-to-video movie.

It includes third-hand allegations of cash from an earlier venture being spent on illegal drugs, a claim that Pierce's dog was shot by the "Spanish FBI," and allegations of minors being transported across state lines for sex. The complaint even takes a swipe at former-child-actor Pierce's filmography (Pierce played a young Emilio Estevez in The Mighty Ducks and The Mighty Ducks 2, and the lead in First Kid). In short, this is not your average business spat.

PlayNoEvil has some insightful comments up regarding some general problems this case points to. In any case, rare is the court filing that is this entertaining.

Lawsuit Against IGE Founder Brock Pierce Alleges Underhanded Dealing at Virtual Property Company [Virtually Blind via PlayNoEvil]

• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas First Edition Disc - Replacement Disc
• Detailed Store Receipt - Cash payment up to $35.00
• General Credit Card Statement or Check - Cash payment up to $17.50
• Disc/Purchase Details - Cash payment up to $10.00
• No Disc/Purchase Details - Cash payment up to $5.00

Gaming Steve noted that the masses are well aware of the settlement opportunities, now that ads are running in magazines like People. Everyone involved has until May 16 to grab their cash. Good luck!

GTA Class Action Settlement [via Gaming Steve]

However, as far as money goes, the suit finally has a price tag. $5 million in damages are alleged, apparently, have been suffered by the millions of Xbox Live subscribers who couldn't access the service over the holiday period. Gibson says that over 50 plaintiffs have joined the suit since its filing.

Xbox Live Gamers Sue Microsoft For Faulty Service, Lawyer Speaks Out: Exclusive [MTV News]

According to a GoNintendo tipster, former Midway employee Patrick Goschy, seen in the video above, and possibly unnamed parties may file suit against Nintendo for patent violation related to a motion controller he and other Midway Games employees created. Those patents—Motion simulator for a video game and Video game system having a control unit with an accelerometer for controlling a video game—were filed in 1999 with the US Patent & Trademark Office. The demonstration video of Midway's "Velocity Controller" was shot in the summer of 2000, apparently when the heat got to Mr. Goschy, forcing him to break out the short pants.

For the record, we're basing this story on a GoNintendo tip based on a local television broadcast that we've yet to uncover (UPDATE: that local Fox News piece is now online). I implore you to take it as rumor for now, but enjoy yet another potential Nintendo lawsuit from someone looking to get a healthy paycheck from the console manufacturer. Thanks, for the heads up tipsters!

Ex-Midway employee plans to sue Nintendo for Wiimote/Nunchuk idea [GoNintendo]

The complaint, which is available for download via the Seattle Times, doesn't mention what damages are being sought by the group, but does point out expenses associated with Live subscription costs and attorney fees. Your tax dollars at work, ladies and gentlemen!

Xbox Live holiday outages prompts class action lawsuit [Seattle Times]

The gamer surnamed Zhang discovered six virtual items, worth more than RMB1,500, missing from his game account on November 22, 2006 and contacted Shanda regarding the disappearance. Shanda said that the company had taken the items in accordance with a police investigation regarding the sale of stolen virtual items. According to the report, Shanda failed to follow police instruction and return the items after the investigation ended. Having spent much time away from the game, Zhang said he plans to take Shanda back to court. This time he plans to sue for the RMB150,000 he claims to have spent in the game during the past five years. Zhang sued Shanda in the Hunan Qiyang People's Court.

Over $20,000 USD seems excessive, to say the least. Will it fly in a Chinese courtroom? I guess we'll find out.

Shanda Pays For Stealing Gamer's Toys [Pacific Epoch via PlayNoEvil]

The Romantics are, of course, seeking compensatory and punitive damages but specific dollar amounts aren't listed. Billboard writes that the band may have a case, citing "right of publicity" but counters that only those who are "very well known" may benefit from suing imitators.

If the court were to rule in the favor of the band, it could spell further trouble for parties involved in the Guitar Hero and Rock Band series in the form of lawsuits from other bands hungry for cash. The potential silver lining? Steering away from cover versions, including only master tracks. That silver lining comes with a bit of tin, however, as there are cases where those master tracks are simply no longer available, potentially limiting future track listings.

Regardless of the outcome, it's all utterly unromantic.

The Romantics Sue Activision Over 'Guitar Hero' [Billboard - thanks, Damon!]

The report doesn't specify how much Garcia is seeking but mentions that Microsoft is attempting to have the case thrown out of court.

Microsoft Hit With Class Action Suit Over Xbox Live Fees [Information Week - thanks, coalhalo!]

In a lawsuit filed by CDC Games last week, the company claims MGame has not been providing adequate technical support for "Yulgang" and that it has not been supporting CDC in its efforts to combat piracy.

In response, MGame said it has "hired and dispatched key personnel to sincerely provide support to address those issues."

MGame Chief Executive Yi Hyoung Kwon said in a statement the company "will provide constant and stable services for 'Yulgang' in China with a new partner sometime soon,"

I love reading this stuff - it's like a soap opera, but way better and with a lot more money at stake. You can't make this stuff up. I can't wait to see what happens if MGame and CDC don't manage to iron this out, and MGame goes shopping for a new Chinese operator.

MGame Responds to CDC Lawsuits [Forbes]

Teddy Liu, Greater China communications director of Blizzard, told Xinhua on Thursday that he had not received any official information on the suit, and had only read media reports.

He said he could not comment at the moment.

Damages could be calculated either by the defendant's interests that were illegally gained via copyright infringement or by the plaintiff's losses according to Chinese law, said the statement from Founder Electronics.

It claimed WoW had 7.5 million active player accounts and hence the infringement of copyright was "serious".

"The lost earnings of one billion yuan was a conservative estimate," the statement said.

I'd love to know how they arrive at these numbers, and I'm curious to see what the outcome of the suit is - these 'conservative' totals for damages seem rather inflated at best, but then, I'm not a lawyer.

Chinese firm making "interim" damages claim for 100 mln yuan from Blizzard [Xinhua]

This is, at its core, one of the simplest contract disputes. Party A promised to deliver a good in form X, and Party B alleges that good arrived in form X-1 and Party A never fulfilled their contractual agreement.

Assuming Silicon Knights can show that Epic neglected the licensees in order to work on Gears, the Gears profits will become some measure of damages. While it seems unlikely Silicon will receive all of the profits they demanded, a substantial award for Silicon would not be out of the ordinary.

Silicon Knights v. Epic: The Unreal 3 Engine Case [lawofthegame]

Sony isn't the first video game publisher to settle a big payout to workers, as Electronic Arts has settled two separate suits, totaling over $30 million.

That 8.5 million is equivalent to over 14,000 PLAYSTATION 3s, so get out there and buy, kids. Sony needs the cash now more than ever! Michael McWhertor

SCEA Settles $8.5m Overtime Class Action Suit [Gamasutra]

Nintendo facing new Wii patent suit [Gamespot]

From GamePolitics comes news that a virtual land dispute that started last year is moving into actual court rooms. Attorney Marc Bragg "exploited a URL quirk to grab several plots of virtual land for cheap," and Linden Labs then suspended his account, citing ToS violations.

Bragg responded by filing suit in a Pennsylvania court, which Linden tried to have dismissed (it didn't work). No word on when it will actually be going to be heard in federal court, but GP says:

Some industry watches don't believe it will make it as far as examining whether "virtual" property is the equivalent of "real" property, but will focus mainly on whether Linden Labs had the right to deny Bragg access to his account after his violation of their ToS.

I can't imagine having the free time to pursue virtual property disputes in federal court. Must be nice. Maggie Greene

Virtual Land Dispute Moves to Real-life Courtroom [GamePolitics]

The New Zealand actors were supposed to split 5% of the revenue after expenses from sales of caps, video games, mugs and other merchandise, according to the lawsuit filed May 30 in Los Angeles County Superior Court. But, the suit contends, New Line breached the contract by taking distribution and "gross participation" fees to which it wasn't entitled

The fees weren't in the contract and they ate up all the profits owed to the actors, said their attorney, Henry Gradstein of Los Angeles.

Hollywood's full of dreams, but I'm sure a lot of actors didn't expect to spend time in court trying to reap the benefits of seeing their face on a mug or stripped onto an avatar. That's show business for you. Kim Phu

15 actors sue New Line Cinema over 'Lord of the Rings' profits [USA Today]

*cue theme music*

Meet the plaintiff, Target Tech. They claim that Sony's Blu-Ray technology infringes on a patent they've held since last March for a silver-based alloy thin film for optical disks. They've filed a lawsuit against SCEA, Sony Pictures, and Sony DADC US, seeking damages and an injunction against Sony infringing on their patent ever again.

Meet the defendant...well the defendant hasn't commented yet, though I'm sure they get around to it in all due time.

Target Technology is currently named as a co-defendant in a trademark infringement case brought about by Williams Advanced Materials, a company that manufactures, among other things, thin film materials used in DVDs, so for all I know the whole thin film covering business could be full of scoundrels and thieves. Only the other hand, Sony doesn't have that great a track record regarding borrowed tech themselves (rumble), so how this ends up is anybody's guess. Michael Fahey

Tech firm sues Sony over Blu-ray [GamesIndustry.Biz]

His claims of negligence and waste are going to get any arguments from me regarding both the movie and the video game that accompanied it. A complete waste of an excellent character.

Apparently there have been arguments between Gary, Roy Thomas, and artist Mike Ploog as to the creation of the character. Back in 2001, Friedrich was quoted as saying, "I threatened on more than one occasion that if Marvel gets in a position where they are gonna make a movie or make a lot of money off of it, I'm gonna sue them, and I probably will. ... It was my idea. It was always my idea from the first time we talked about it,." (from Wikipedia)

Odds are that if there is room for argument as to his ownership of the character, the lawsuit will end up going completely nowhere, which is kind of sad. Having your creation get turned into such trash is tantamount to discovering your daughter in a pornographic video. Michael Fahey

Ghost Rider Creator Sues Sony, Marvel, Take-Two & Others [GameDaily.BIZ]

As Gamespot points out, the PlayStation 2 game comes with an included epilepsy warning, a common practice on videogame software.

We'll update when we get more details. Michael McWhertor

Vivendi, Sony sued over epileptic seizure [Gamespot]

WeeWorld, the avatar creation licensor that filed a suit against Nintendo last year for (they say) infringing on their WeeMee trademark has asked a judge to dismiss the case "without prejudice." While you'd think Nintendo would be pleased to have this whole legal snag behind them, you'd be wrong. Nintendo's lawyers want the court to drop the case with prejudice and prevent WeeWorld from pursuing future legal action against the company. Look. It's technical.

Nintendo also wants some four-hundred grand in legal fees repaid to them. Maybe WeeWorld bit off more than they could chew?

Hit up Gamespot for additional details on the suit. Michael McWhertor

WeeWorld tries to drop Wii suit [Gamespot]

A criminal investigation has been launched by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department into the tragic water intoxication death of Jennifer Strange (left, with her family), who died hours after participating in KDND-FM's "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest. This follows the firing of 10 of the radio station's employees, including the three morning DJs, and the cancellation of the morning show.

An article on law enforcement website Officer.com reveals more details on the utter disregard the radio personalities held for the health of their contestants.

Authorities decided to pursue the investigation after listening to a tape of the show, obtained by The Sacramento Bee, during which DJs joked about the possible dangers of consuming too much water, sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said. At one point, the DJs even alluded to a college student who died during a similar stunt in 2005.

As far as I am concerned everyone responsible for the contest, from the promotions department to the on-air talent, had a hand in her death. Sure, the woman should have known better that to follow along with it, but she was trying to do something nice for her now motherless children. That's a fact those children will struggle with for the rest of their lives.

The attorneys of the Strange family plan to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the radio station, and I cannot see how they can possibly lose.

"Oh, my gosh, look at that belly. That's full of water. ... Come on over, Jennifer, you OK?" a male DJ asked. "You going to pass out right now? Too much water?"

California Sheriff Looks into Water-Drinking Death [Officer.com - Thanks Kael]