Nintendo lanches legal battle against Nyko over Kama Nunchuk

Nintendo has been riding high on Wii’s success but every now and then it has to worry about things like piracy and trademark infringement to protect its position. Currently on its radar is leading Wii-peripheral manufacturer Nyko, which has also benefited from Wii’s success. Nintendo has nary an issue with Nyko cashing in on Wii-mania but it does have issue with the manner that it does so.

The Big N is suing Nyko over its third party Kama Nunchuk. Nintendo has alleged that the Kama Nunchuk bears a striking resemblance to the official Wii Nunchuk manufactured by it and so infringes its intellectual property rights.

Nintendo has initiated legal proceedings with an official complaint against Nyko. In the complaint filed in a Seattle federal court on June 10, 2008, Nintendo accused Nyko of replicating its Nunchuk controller’s “novel shape, design, overall appearance and even the color and materials.” But, as expected, Nyko has refuted the allegations and stated that it hasn’t advertently violated any intellectual property.

Indeed it is difficult to really distinguish a Nintendo Nunchuk from Kama Nunchuk. But legal matters are not decided based on the mere appearance of things.

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