A jury, which is meeting over Zoom, voted unanimously against Valve during a trial over a case for infringement of the Steam Controller patent, which awarded $ 4 million in damages to Ironburg Inventions and SCUF. The original complaint was filed in 2015 in a Washington court.
SCUF and Ironburg Invention, subsidiaries of the computer company Corsair, are known for their custom, ‘high-performance’ video game controllers – specializing in both accessories and custom equipment. According to its website, SCUF holds 105 patents for its design, many of which are related to its special trigger mechanisms. The “rear ministry areas”, as set out in the opening argument at the end of January, were the subject of this particular case. Basically, SCUF said that Valve copied its back pads – those on the governing body.
It was a similar technology that SCUF licensed to Microsoft in 2015 for use on its Xbox Elite controller. The company also collaborated with Sony in 2018 on a PlayStation 4 controller that contained four rear derailleurs and its distinctive trigger extenders.
SCUF’s attorneys allege that Valve intentionally disregarded the patents and SCUF’s warnings and continued with its infringing Steam Controller.
“Valve did know that his conduct posed an unreasonable risk of infringement, but in any event it merely infringed,” SCUF attorney Robert Becker said during the trial, as reported by Law360. “The classic story of David and Goliath – Goliath does what Goliath wants to do.”
On Tuesday, SCUF owner Corsair announced that he had won his case against Valve after years in the court system. The jury voted unanimously on all claims, including that the violation was “willful”, meaning that Corsair owes more than the original fine, which is more than $ 4 million.
Valve’s Steam Controller was discontinued for a while – and officially sold out in 2019 following a deal offered by the controller for $ 5.
Last week, Valve was hit with a possible class action lawsuit alleging the company violated antitrust rules. Five defendants have filed the complaint over a “Most Favored Nations” clause in their contracts with game developers. This prevents game developers from selling their games at lower prices than on Steam on other platforms, according to the complaint. In addition, it comes with a combined fine of € 7.8 million issued by the European Commission to Valve and five game publishers, after the commission found that the companies were violating antitrust rules with regard to ‘geo-blocking’.