When the Nintendo 3DS launched, it utilized some interested 3D technology that allowed it to be used without 3D glasses. However, this technology was not their own and now they have been ordered to pay a portion of each Nintendo 3DS handheld to the patent holder.
After a 2011 lawsuit found that Nintendo had infringed on Tomita Technologies, Nintendo has now been ordered to pay a royalty rate to Tomita Technologies for each handheld sold. The agreed upon royalty rate is 1.82%, or approximately $3 per handheld. A royalty rate was agreed upon rather than a flat fee due to the potential of the system’s price to fall.
This royalty fee follows an already $15 million in damages that Nintendo has had to pay to Tomita Technologies, so they are definitely having to pay for their infringing on this glasses-free technology patent.
