Capcom Suing Ninja Gaiden Publisher for Patent Infringement

Dead Rising and Resident Evil publisher Capcom is suing Ninja Gaiden and Dynasty Warriors company Koei Tecmo for patent infringement, according to a report from Japanese publication Sankei translated by Siliconera.

The lawsuit charges Koei Tecmo with infringing on Capcom's 2002 patent for a system that lets players unlock content from an older game in a new title. The report also claims Koei Tecmo infringed on a Capcom patent that covers a feature that makes a controller vibrate when enemies are close.

Capcom says that Koei Tecmo's use of these patents "has greatly contributed to the sales" of its games.

In all, Capcom claims that 50 Koei Tecmo games infringe upon the publisher's patents. As a result, Capcom is suing for ¥980 million (about $9.43 million) in damages related to licensing fees, which covers about 10 percent of Koei Tecmo's total profits from the games. The publisher is also hoping to curb the sale of some Koei Tecmo titles, though these were not mentioned outright.

A Capcom representative said the company cannot comment on legal matters.