Jury: Nintendo Must Pay $30.2 Million for 3DS Patent Violation

Nintendo owes a former Sony employee a $30.2 million paycheck for violating his 3D display technology patent with its 3DS handheld gaming system, a jury decided late Wednesday.

Seijiro Tomita filed suit against Nintendo in 2011 for patent infringement, arguing the company violated his patent on technology that allows for 3D displays without the need for 3D glasses — the Nintendo 3DS' signature feature. He claimed he showed his designs to Nintendo executives in 2003, eight years before the 3DS hit the market, according to Reuters.

Nintendo countered that the 3DS didn't use the central aspects of Tomita's designs and its meeting with Tomita was one of several discussions it had with various inventors or suppliers. Those arguments, however, failed to connect with the jury.