Nintendo is Being Sued Over the Design of the Switch

Did the Nintendo Switch rip off its design from a smaller gaming accessory company? It was reported by Engadget that Gamevice believes it did. Gamevice is the accessory company that filed a lawsuit against Nintendo over the Switch’s detachable Joy-Con controllers.

Gamevice is the company behind the Wikipad, an Android-powered tablet that came bundled with a detachable controller-style dock. The product did receive praise, but did not earn widespread adoption. The company has since pivoted to focusing on add-on gaming peripherals for existing mobile devices.

Gamevice is seeking damages and a ban on sales of the Nintendo Switch. They say the design of the Nintendo console steals from legally protected intellectual property without the company’s permission.

It is easy to see some of the similarities between the use models of the Switch and the Wikipad, but the vision for the Switch under Nintendo is noticeably different. Whether a court will see things that way remains to be seen.