Capcom Wins Patent Infringement Lawsuit

Capcom Co., Ltd. (Capcom) today announced that the Intellectual Property High Court ruled in favor of Capcom in the company’s patent infringement lawsuit against Koei Tecmo Games Co., Ltd. (Koei Tecmo).

The Intellectual Property High Court handed down its decision, ordering Koei Tecmo to pay compensation of 143,843,710 yen (130,773,710 yen in damages and 13.07 million yen in attorneys’ fees, etc.) to Capcom, after recognizing that Koei Tecmo infringed upon two of Capcom’s patents (patent #3350773 (patent A, below) and patent #3295771 (patent B, below)).

The lawsuit is part of second instance proceedings for a suit raised by Capcom at the Osaka District Court on July 4, 2014 (case number: 2014 (wa) No. 6163), at which Capcom claimed that Koei Tecmo had infringed upon both patent A and patent B.

In the Osaka District Court’s ruling at the first instance (December 14, 2017), the court recognized Capcom’s claim for patent B only (and dismissed Capcom’s claims regarding patent A), handing down a ruling that ordered Koei Tecmo to pay Capcom 5.17 million yen (4.7 million yen in damages and 470 thousand yen in attorney’s fees, etc.). However, with today’s ruling the Intellectual Property High Court has recognized that Capcom’s patents were infringed upon, a decision that Capcom believes demonstrates sound legal judgement.

Capcom is committed to improving customer experiences and expanding the game industry by promoting the effective use of its patents through methods such as licensing, while safeguarding the inventions associated with each of its titles.