Meta sued over Quest virtual reality headset
Dispute centres on augmented reality headset used in interactive virtual games | New Mexico firm has also targeted the maker of Pokémon Go in recent months | Ramey.
Meta Platforms is facing claims that it infringed patented technology in its Quest virtual reality headset in a new lawsuit filed in a US federal court.
Patent holding company Flick Intelligence filed the complaint against Facebook’s and Instagram’s parent company at the US District Court for the Western District of Texas on September 7.
The New Mexico firm is demanding a jury trial seeking relief from patent infringement of the claims of US patent number 9,465,451, titled “Method, system and computer program product for obtaining and displaying supplemental data about a displayed movie, show, event or video game”.
Background
Back in 2018, Facebook unveiled Oculus Quest, a standalone headset that was not dependent on a PC for operation.
Then in October 2022, Meta unveiled Meta Quest Pro, a mixed reality headset aimed primarily at professional players and frequent users of augmented reality (AR).
The upgraded headset uses quantum dot displays, with thinner optics for a more visor-like form factor, and has upgraded cameras designed to facilitate mixed reality applications.
According to The Verge, which cited an internal Meta briefing held in March 2023, the tech giant had sold nearly 20 million Quest headsets since its launch.
Flick contends that Meta used the allegedly infringing technology in this product to help wearers find out more about the items and features in the interactive video games that they play.
Pokémon Go lawsuit
In October 2016, the US Patent and Trademark Office first issued the ‘451 patent—which was later acquired by Flick— according to the complaint.
Flick adds that, but for Meta’s infringement, the tech company’s “best selling products and services would never have been put into service”.
“Defendant’s acts complained of herein caused those claimed-invention embodiments as a whole to perform, and Defendant’s procurement of monetary and commercial benefit from it,” says the complaint.
In June, Flick also sued Niantic, the maker of Pokémon Go and other augmented reality games, over alleged infringement of a patent covering technology in the virtual reality space.
William Ramey and Jeffrey Kubiak, partners at Ramey, filed the lawsuit on behalf of Flick.
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