Apple, Sony, Nintendo sued over patent infringement claims

Editor's Note: The following article is reprinted from Macworld UK. Visit Macworld U.K.'s blog page for the latest Mac news from across the Atlantic.

Three industry giants, Apple, Sony and Nintendo, are being sued in a new patent infringement lawsuit.

California-based Shared Memory Graphics claims the Apple iPod, Nintendo’s motion-controlled Wii, and Sony PSP and PS2 game consoles make use of two graphic accelerator systems patented by the company.

The two patents, originally owned by Alliance Semiconductor, describe ways in which microprocessors fine-tune graphics by balancing the flow of data from various sources.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the suit was filed at the U.S. District Court of Arkansas and demands unspecified monetary damages.

The plaintiff’s attorneys are fighting for a “reasonable royalty” from Apple, Sony, Nintendo, along with enhanced damages from Sony.

Apple had no comment to make on the lawsuit filed late last week.