Microsoft, Immersion settle legal dispute
Haptic technology maker Immersion said Tuesday it has settled its legal dispute with Microsoft.
The maker of tactile feedback technology for mice and joysticks sued both Sony and Microsoft in 2002 for patent infringement. Though both suits were settled, Microsoft filed a separate suit against Immersion in June 2007 and asked the court to enforce a portion of a sublicensing agreement between the two companies that stated Microsoft would get a portion of Immersion's settlement it received from Sony. Immersion countersued, alleging Microsoft had breached a confidentiality agreement.
More than a year later, Microsoft and Immersion have called a truce under a 2003 sublicense agreement between the two companies. They've also settled Immersion's countersuit.
Terms of the deal include a one-time payment by Immersion to Microsoft for $20.75 million, and Immersion's admission to Microsoft's Certified Partner Program.
Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur. E-mail Erica.
