EE Times

(03/28/2005 4:42 PM EST)

WASHINGTON — Sony Corp. has been ordered by a California court to pay Immersion Corp. $90.7 million in connection with the U.S. company`s patent-infringement lawsuit against the Japanese consumer electronics giant.

Immersion (San Jose, Calif.), a developer of touch-feedback technology designed to enhance game realism, announced Monday (March 28) that the U.S. District Court for Northern California ruled in its favor in a patent-infringement case against Sony Computer Entertainment Corp. of America.

The court upheld a September 2004 jury verdict that awarded Immersion $82 million, and tacked on an additional $8.7 million. The initial amount was based on sales of infringing products through June 30, 2004, Immersion said.

Immersion sued Sony in 2002 alleging it violated two of its patents.

The court also issued a permanent injunction against Sony that would prevent it from selling its PlayStation systems in the United States. However, the trial judge granted a stay on the sales ban pending Sony`s expected appeal.

``The Court`s entry of judgment implements last September`s jury verdict and the damages award,`` said Immersion CEO Victor Viegas. ``The court-ordered permanent injunction to stop the shipment and sale of infringing products in the U.S. is an important indicator of the strength of our case and the potential risks involved in this litigation.``

The ruling against Sony was issued by the trial judge on March 24.