Companies are always filing patents for new product designs, but this time it's a little different. Nintendo Co., Ltd. recently registered a design at the Japanese patent office for the Switch Lite – a handheld system which launched in September last year.
The description notes how the device is "an electronic computer capable of playing a game" and has the creators listed as Yui Ehara and Junichiro Miyatake. Attached to this are multiple images of the design that appears to be the same as the existing model currently available in stores.
As this looks to be the same unit, it seems like this is nothing more than a filing that was well overdue. If there are any updates though, we'll be sure to let you know. This follows on from the release of the new Coral Switch Lite, which joins the Turquoise, Yellow, and Grey models.
[source japanesenintendo.com]
Comments 15
Well that's... interesting.
I'm not familiar with patent law, but does this mean that somebody could've hypothetically used the exact design in a product of their own?
@SwitchVogel Well, yes and no. The Switch itself is patented after all, and shares a significant amount of overlap in design with the Lite. I know just enough to know that either side could have a chance at winning the claim if someone had tried to do that. And it was probably patented already in other territories, so they would've been limited to Japan.
Shoot. I think my phone is violating that copyright description.
Nintendo right now: "Oi, that's my machine! I've got patent pending on that!"
What took them so long?
the switch lite is pretty plain though isn't it? just a ps vita
Drastic method of avoiding leakers.
This is a registered design, not a patent (although registered designs are sometimes called design patents). It protects how a product looks, rather than an aspect of how it functions like a patent. Most jurisdictions have a 12 month grace period for filing by a registered design, meaning you can make the design/product publicly available 12 months before filing the design application.
Don't they mean better Lite than never 😁
@TheNewButler That was a joke.
@TheNewButler It was a joke, but you're not wrong that I mixed up the term "copyright" and "patent."
I will admit that tone does not come across well in text form.
@RickD
You'd think that, right? But I've seen patents granted for unbelievably generic things. I've seen patents which have been granted that basically describe, if taken literally, almost all networked software. The way patent laws and grants work, at least in some places, is often mindboggling.
I thought you could not patent something that was already in the public domain!? very confused...
Edit: Just re-read its a registered design... not a patent... shame on you Nintendolife !!!
To those so-called lawyers here a define words for US side but most likely they filed the same in the US Patent Office already:
United States patent law:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_patent_law
Design patent:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_patent
So before we get so-called lawyers thinking they know they should read the Law first. This is in response to the AlienWare stolen Patent Design that was showed this is why Nintendo filed the Design Patent which most likely is going to sue Dell for stealing a Patent Design. That's where I see this going.
@RickD If i was a patent clerk I would bounce that for being too generic at this point.
Dumb comments clearly shows one is NintenDoomed fandom.
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