Patent lawsuit against Microsoft, EA, and Nintendo quashed at appeal
Federal court finds patent holder's argument "unconvincing"
A patent infringement lawsuit filed against three of the industry's biggest companies has been quashed by the Federal Circuit Court.
Australian inventor Richard Baker issued the filing against Electronic Arts, Microsoft, and Nintendo of America for infringements on his patent for a "personalised instructional aid".
The patent in question refers to a device that allows users to control computers using motion and video capture, much like a Kinect.
Baker originally brought the case to district court in June last year, but the judge ruled against him.
In an attempt to overrule the decision, Baker appealed to a federal court where the judgement was upheld.
Along with Microsoft, Electronic Arts, and Nintendo of America, Baker was also suing Harmonix and Majesco Entertainment.
It was argued the video game products of these companies incorporated an image capturing device that infringed Baker's patent.
As to be expected, the ruling came down to technicalities and semantics, but it was decided that there was no "literal infringement" of Baker's patent.
"We have considered Mr. Baker's remaining arguments and find them unconvincing," reads the ruling. "Accordingly, we affirm the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of [the defendants]."