A lawsuit filed this week claims Japanese video game-maker Nintendo is selling controllers that violate a proprietary patent owned by Gamevice. Photo courtesy Nintendo Co. Ltd.

Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Video game giant Nintendo faces an infringement lawsuit that says the controllers for its new Switch console infringe on a proprietary design owned by another company.

Gamevice, a California-based manufacturer of a detachable console used to turn tablet computers into portable gaming devices, said Nintendo's controllers violate a patent it holds. In a complaint Wednesday, Gamevice seeks damages and demands that Nintendo stop making and selling the Switch consoles.


Nintendo has sold 4.7 million Switch units since March, its latest earning report says. Each is sold with a pair of controllers.

The lawsuit says the design of the Switch infringes on the patent for the plaintiffs' device, also called the Gamevice. Each employs two controllers that attach and detach from a tablet computer, allowing gamers to use traditional buttons and joysticks to control play instead of using the device's touchscreen.

Gamevice was awarded a patent, for its device, named the "Combination Computing Device and Game Controller with Flexible Bridge Section," in 2015.

Nintendo did not immediately respond to the suit.