Nintendo Wii Lawsuit That Started in 2010 Finally Ends After 15 Years

Nintendo’s victory in a lawsuit regarding the Nintendo Wii controllers is vindication for the company after 15 years of being caught in the European legal system. As one of gaming’s biggest brands, Nintendo has always possessed the ability to call out other companies for apparent infringement on their creations. Sometimes, this has worked out in the company’s favor in the public eye, while others (such as their broader argument against titles like Palworld) have faced more scrutiny from gamers.

Their latest victory may be a bit more of a pyrrhic one, given the length of the lawsuit, but it’s a victory nonetheless. If nothing else, it’s a reminder of Nintendo’s tenacity when it comes to legal battles and might be a future incentive for other companies to avoid facing off with the publisher in court. Here’s why Nintendo has finally won its lawsuit and what it could mean for Nintendo’s future legal battles.

Nintendo Wins Its 15-Year-Old Lawsuit

Nintendo has been involved in a long-running legal battle with the French video game publisher/hardware designer Nacon over the Nintendo Wii. Nintendo sued the company over a decade ago due to their third-party replications of the Wii Remote, otherwise known as the Wiimote, which were not approved by Nintendo. Nintendo’s argument in 2010 was that Nacon (then known as BigBen Interactive) had infringed on the European patent for the distinctive controller. Nintendo also argued that without the third-party controllers on the market, the publisher would have earned 100% of the profits from the sale of Wiimotes around the world. The decision is a big blow to Nacon, who have been ordered to pay €7 million — roughly $8.2 million in USD — in damages, interest, and legal fees.

While German courts had already decided in 2011 that BigBen had indeed infringed on Nintendo’s patent, the lengthy process of enforcing patent infringement in the European nation (as well as BigBen’s own efforts to delay the legal finding) resulted in the case carrying on for fifteen years. The financial burden played in Nacon is in part due to how the company stretched the case, with the 5% interest rate on the damages ballooning the cost for the company. Nacon is currently appealing the judgment, which will give them another chance to avoid paying damages to Nintendo. However, Nintendo’s victory in the German legal system is seen as a major win for the publisher. Even though the Nintendo Wii was formally discontinued over a decade ago, Nintendo’s victory in this case highlights just how far the publisher is willing to go to protect its material.

Nintendo’s Legal Victory Highlights Its Strength In The Courtroom

Nintendo has long been known as a litigious company, with the publisher unafraid to bring third-party replications of its hardware to court. This victory is just the latest legal win for Nintendo, which has also been involved in other high-profile court cases recently. This includes victories in their lawsuit against Nintendo Switch emulator Yuzu and streamer EveryGameGuru for sharing footage of pirated games.

The publisher has had more mixed results in their legal battle against Palworld developer Pocket Pair over the game mechanic of summoning creatures to use in combat, however, suggesting there is a limit to their legal advantages. Although the company earned a crucial win in US courts, judges have taken a rare step to re-examine the previously granted Pokémon patent, given the broader nature of a legal battle over game mechanics rather than specific hardware or pirated games. Still, Nintendo’s legal victories — especially over Nacon — highlight the advantage that Nintendo has over other companies when lawsuits come into play.

As one of the world’s biggest gaming companies and a foundational part of the industry, Nintendo has the resources to easily maintain a court case for over a decade. €7 million isn’t a small sum by any metric, but it does only account for a tiny fraction of the publisher’s typical revenue on a yearly basis. More than anything, this victory is a reminder to other companies and individuals who end up in legal battles with Nintendo that the company Mario built has more than enough resources to keep up the fight for several years. It also raises the stakes in Nintendo’s other current cases and suggests that Nintendo’s other legal battles are far from over.