Gabe Newell’s company will now have to pay four million dollars in damages.

Last week, we discussed how Ironburg Inventions, SCUF Gaming’s (Corsair’s) intellectual property-holding branch, took Valve to the court, as they believed that the Steam Controller has infringed on their patent as early as the controller’s prototype phase. (It all happened over the back paddles that can be found on the Steam Controller, which was used without permission.) Ironburg claims that Valve essentially stole the idea, but Gabe Newell’s company argued there had been no infringement.

However, a jury (whose members have received the Steam Controller via mail to have a firm view on the situation) found unanimously that all seven of Ironburg’s asserted claims were infringed by the Steam Controller, Law.com reports. This is why Ironburg Inventions was awarded 4 million dollars in damages. However, this amount was less what the company had been seeking.

Previously, Ironburg asked for a maximum of eleven million dollars. Alternatively, the company sought for six million dollars, as this is the same amount Microsoft paid for them to use the back paddles with permission (license) on the Xbox controllers (as the Redmond-based company followed the rule book, and they did the right thing here).

Valve’s fine might be increased, though: the jury believed that Valve’s infringement was willful. It enables Thomas Zilly, the judge of the Western District of Washington, to potentially increase the damages Valve must pay. If Zilly believes the offence to be „egregious,” Gabe Newell’s company might be charged more than four million dollars.

Valve discontinued the Steam Controller back in November 2019, and recently, the company was also fined by the European Commission – they had to pay 1.624 million euros (the maximum amount, as Valve didn’t cooperate with the Commission!) over geo-blocking practices. (In other words, the free trade within the EU does not apply that much to Steam itself…)

Source: Gamesindustry