Meta Platforms Inc. constructed its industry-leading digital actuality headset by infringing Immersion Corp.’s patents, the smaller firm alleged in a lawsuit.
The Meta Quest 2, which dominates the market, infringes six patents overlaying haptic expertise, Immersion mentioned in a criticism filed Thursday in federal court docket in Waco, Texas. In online game programs and controllers, haptics permit customers to expertise vibrations that mimic real-life forces — reminiscent of blocking a punch in a digital boxing sport.
Meta Chief Govt Officer Mark Zuckerberg has dedicated to spending $10 billion a yr to deliver to life his imaginative and prescient of a digital reality-enabled metaverse. Gross sales of Meta Quest 2 hit 8.7 million items in 2021, twice as a lot as within the prior yr, and the corporate owns 80% of the market.
Immersion is looking for a court docket order blocking Meta’s use of the infringing expertise and unspecified damages.
Meta representatives didn’t instantly reply outdoors common enterprise hours to a request for remark.
Immersion, which focuses on haptics patents, is understood for taking over a number of the world’s largest firms in licensing disputes.