Koei Tecmo hit with patent infringement lawsuit from Capcom
Capcom is suing Koei Tecmo over a patent infringement, and Sankei has some of the details.
Here’s what we know:
– Capcom is suing due to the patent infringement in games such as Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends
– A total of 49 other titles are involved
– Suit is for 980 million yen (about $9.43 million)
– Lawsuit says Capcom filed a patent back in 2002 that involves a function that lets you acquire new content by combining an existing game with another piece of software
– It appears that Capcom is effectively referring to the idea of expansion packs, and the concept of importing content into the new version of a game
– Likely covers expansion discs as well since the patent was filed in 2002
– Another patent mentioned in the report is a controller-vibrating notification feature when enemy characters are nearby
– Capcom claims that the patent infringement “has greatly contributed to the sales” of Koei Tecmo’s titles
– Koei Tecmo has seen a profit of about 9.73 billion yen in total sales
– Capcom wants to acquire around 5 – 10% in license fees
– They’re also demanding the suspension of sales on several Tecmo Koei titles
