ArsTechnica is reporting that Interlink Electronics has filed a patent infringement suit against Nintendo in regards to certain aspects of the Wii control scheme. According to Ars, the dispute arises from U.S. patent #6,850,221 which was granted to Interlink in 1997 covering the following;
"A device particularly for use with a computer comprises a housing for location at least partly between two fingers of a user's hand and an electronic circuit mounted on a board within the housing. The circuit includes a switch responsive to pressure selectively to open and close an electronic circuit, and conductive elements arranged on the board mounting the electronic circuit. A first control element is mounted with the housing and responsive to finger pressure such that pressure applied to the first control element causes the element to operate the switch. The first control element is movable with respect to a hinge such that finger action acts to cause the control element to swivel as a trigger about the hinge and thereby interact with the switch. The second control element includes a flexible material mounted such that pressure applied to the flexible material in different directions and positions acts to change the electrical relationship between the conductive elements on the board and thereby vary an output signal from the electronic circuit. The rear portion of the housing includes a receptacle for receiving removable battery means for powering the electronic circuit. There is an infra-red output signal transmitted to a receiver for operating the computer. The first control element is located substantially below the second control element, and the first control element being in a bottom face of the housing." - U.S. Patent & trademark office
I may be no expert on patent law, but while the ArsTechinca article points out that the Wiimote uses motion sensing and not finger pressure to move objects around the screen, they seem to forget that the Nunchuck is part of the Wii's control scheme and, unlike the Wiimote, would seem to fit that description quite well.
Perhaps the part that leads me to believe that Interlink is serious about the patent infringement (and not just looking for an easy payout) is that they've filed suit in their home state rather than seeking out an area known for excessive judgments in favor of plaintiffs. My guess is that if there's any chance of Interlink having a valid claim, expect Nintendo to attempt to settle the matter as soon as possible - the last thing they would need would be a cease and desist order on the sale of Wii consoles.
One last thing to note here in reference to the ArsTechnica article - ArsTechnica makes a point of highlighting Interlink's statement that the infringement has cost them money in "loss of reasonable royalties, reduced sales and/or lost profits as a result of infringing activities." while mocking the fact that no one most likely skipped the purchase of pointers made by Interlink in order to purchase a Wii. What they seem to have forgotten is that statement also mentions "loss of reasonable royalties" which Interlink would make on the sale of Wii consoles were the technology licensed by Nintendo.
So, who's right and who's wrong? I have no idea. Interlink made no specific explanation of just what part of their patent was infringed by Nintendo in their filing, but I can tell you that given what happened with Sony and Microsoft when they were sued by Immersion, I'm sure Nintendo will take this all quite seriously.
Check out the ArsTechinca article at this link for more details.
UPDATE: 12/09/06 4:30pm - I sent this one over to Kotaku as a tip only to find out that they had broken this story a bit earlier than even Ars had - and theirs was even a bit more balanced than ArsTechnica's was. Check out the original Kotaku article at this link for additional information on the story. That's what I get for missing a few pages of Kotaku yesterday due to work concerns - damn you, damn you all to hell you filthy employers!