Video game developer Nintendo is being sued by a U.S. mobile gaming accessory company that claims the controllers for the Nintendo Switch console infringes on a patent it owns.

Gamevice, which makes video game controllers to attach to tablets and smartphones, is demanding that Nintendo stops making and selling the Switch and wants to be awarded damages.

"Nintendo's infringement has caused, and is continuing to cause, damage and irreparable injury to Gamevice," the company said in its complaint filed in California on Wednesday.

Nintendo has sold 4.7 million units of Switch since it launched the console in March this year, according to the Japanese company's latest earnings report. Demand for the console helped the Japanese company achieve revenue of 154.07 billion yen ($1.41 billion) and operating profit of 16.21 billion yen in its first quarter.

But the lawsuit filed by Gamevice claims the design of the Switch, which uses two controllers called Joy-Cons that can slide onto a tablet computer to allow for portable gaming, infringes on at least one of the family of patents it owns.

One of the company's products called the Gamevice works in a similar way to the Joy-Cons, using two controllers which can attach to and detach from Android and Apple devices. The Gamevice allows player to control their video games using buttons and joysticks, similar to a traditional gaming experience, rather than using the device's touchscreen.