Sony and Immersion settle lawsuit

Best of friends now

2 March 2007 13:36 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Sony and Immersion have put aside their differences and announced that rather than fight it out in the courts will join forces instead.

The two companies have agreed to conclude their patent litigation at the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and have entered into a new business agreement to explore the inclusion of Immersion technology in PlayStation format products.

"We are pleased to have put this litigation behind us", said Immersion CEO Victor Viegas. "Our new business agreement with Sony Computer Entertainment is specifically intended to enable advanced vibration capability for the benefit of the PlayStation gaming community. We are happy to provide our technology in this regard and hope to make technical proposals very soon with respect to use of our technology in the PlayStation products."

Immersion will receive the amount of the judgment entered by the District Court, which includes damages, pre-judgment interest, costs, and interest, in addition to retaining compulsory license fees ordered by the District Court which were already paid.

Terms of the business agreement between the parties provide SCE with certain new rights with respect to Immersion's patent portfolio. Additional financial terms are not being disclosed.

"We look forward to exploring with Immersion exciting new ways to bring the largest and best range of gameplay experiences to our customers", said Kazuo Hirai, President and Group Chief Operating Officer, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "We are very excited about our new partnership with Immersion and the potential for new and innovative products incorporating their technologies."