Microsoft and Nintendo have been cleared of patent violation accusations related to Xbox 360, Wii and GameCube controllers.
The two console manufacturers had been sued by Fenner Investments. The Texas-based firm claimed that the platform holders infringed upon a patent it held related to connecting old controllers to new computers, reports Bloomberg.
The US Court of Appeals in Washington said that “no reasonable jury” could find that Microsoft and Nintendo had violated the patent.
Nintendo of America’s general counsel, Richard Flamm, said the ruling was “consistent with Nintendo’s longstanding policy of respecting the intellectual property of others”.
Fenner’s patent specifically related to a way to ensure that 5-volt joysticks could work with computer chips that operate at lower power levels.