Sony mends fences with Immersion

Shaun Nichols | 6 Mar 2007

Japanese giant to pay $195m in new licensing deal.

Sony Computer Entertainment has ended its legal battle with hardware developer Immersion Corporation after the two companies agreed to a combined legal payment and licensing deal that will cost Sony more than $195m.

The deal ends a five-year feud over Sony's use of Immersion's 'touch feedback' technology in the joystick controllers for its PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games consoles.

A jury ruled in favour of Immersion in 2004, but Sony had appealed against the decision.

A spokesperson for Immersion said that the financial deal is broken into three parts. $126m comes from the original judgment, against which Sony has agreed to withdraw its appeal.

An additional $39.6m will be paid for deferred revenue owed to Immersion over the past two years.

Finally, Sony will pay $29m as part of a new deal to license Immersion's technology through to 2009. The money will be transferred over a series of 12 payments.

Immersion chief executive Victor Viegas said in a written statement that he is "pleased to have put this litigation behind us".

Kazuo Hirai, president and group chief operating officer at Sony Computer Entertainment, added: "We are excited about our new partnership with Immersion and the potential for innovative products incorporating their technologies."

Copyright © 2013 Haymarket Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of Haymarket Media's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.