Valve Corporation “href =” https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/valve/ “> The Covid-19 pandemic caused Valve to lose the first-ever patent jury lawsuit conducted remotely.
The trial, in which Valve attorneys and prosecutor Ironburg Inventions testified through Zoom from various locations, began in late January.
Ironburg claimed that Half-Life and Portal maker Valve had been warned in 2014 that a prototype of the Steam “href =” https://www.videogameschronicle.com/platforms/pc/steam/ “> Steam Controller shown at the CES purse had the same controls on the back that it recently patented.
The patent, for additional controls on the back of a pad that are operated by the user’s middle finger, would later be licensed by Xbox Game Studios (Microsoft) “href =” https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/microsoft / “> Microsoft for use in its Xbox” href = “https://www.videogameschronicle.com/platforms/xbox/”> Xbox Elite controllers, with rear paddles.
Despite the warning, Valve continued to launch its controller and reportedly sold 1.6 million units before discontinuing the product in 2019.
“Valve knew that its behavior presented an unreasonable risk of infringement, but still continued to violate the classic David and Goliath story: Goliath does what Goliath wants to do,” Ironburg’s attorney Robert Becker had argued.
Valve claimed there was no violation, but the jury ruled otherwise, and Ironburg was awarded $ 4 million in damages, Law.com reports.
While the award is at the lower end of the damage range that Ironburg is pursuing, the possibility of improvements remains as jurors decided that Valve had deliberately infringed the patent.
In January, the European Commission fined Valve and five Steam game publishers € 7.8 million ($ 9.4 million) for anti-consumer geo-blocking practices, which restrict access to content or products based on the country in which a person is located.