Nintendo comes out on top in latest Wii balance board patent case

Nintendo won another patent lawsuit this week after plaintiffs Ithaca Development and Ithaca Ventures withdrew their 2013 Seattle federal court case alleging that Nintendo's Wii Balance Board peripheral infringed on an Ithaca Ventures patent.

This is hardly the first time Nintendo has successfully defended itself in patent litigation, but it's interesting to note that while Nintendo did try to get the case dismissed as meritless, the plaintiffs voluntarily withdrew after a German court found that Nintendo's peripheral did not adequately infringe on Ithaca Ventures' (a Slovak Republic company) European patent for a "Cybersurfer" game input device.

Followings its withdrawl, Ithaca will be required to pay all attorney fees Nintendo incurred defending itself. 

“Nintendo will vigorously defend its innovations against patent lawsuits, and will not pay to resolve meritless accusations," stated Nintendo of America VP and deputy general counsel Richard Medway. "No matter whether the case is filed in the United States or elsewhere."