PlayStation patent

A California District Court has ordered Sony to pay $90.7 million to San Jose, CA-based haptic-technology developer Immersion for infringing its patents.

The California District Court for the Northern District of California upheld a September 2004 judgement against Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Computer Entertainment of America in which a jury awarded Immersion damages of $82.0 million based on the sales of infringing products through June 30, 2004, and added on ‘pre-judgment interest’ of $8.7 million.

The Court also issued a permanent injunction against the manufacture, use, sale, or import into the US of infringing Sony PlayStation systems -  including PlayStation consoles, Dual Shock controllers, and the 47 games found by the jury to infringe Immersion's patents.

The Court stayed the permanent injunction pending appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The Court further ordered Sony to pay a compulsory license fee for the duration of the stay of the permanent injunction.

"The Court's entry of judgment implements last September's jury verdict and the damages award," said Immersion CEO Victor Viegas.

"The Court-ordered permanent injunction to stop the shipment and sale of infringing products in the US is an important indicator of the strength of our case. The compulsory license during the stay of the injunction creates a binding obligation for Sony to compensate us for the continued use of our technology in their PlayStation products. We have always believed, and continue to believe, in the strength of our intellectual property. We remain confident of our position in the appeals process,“ he added.