Mad Catz Interactive revealed in a slightly delayed 10-K SEC fili...
Mad Catz Interactive revealed in a slightly delayed 10-K SEC filing after our Tues. deadline that Freedom Wave sued it in U.S. Dist. Court, Cal., alleging that certain Mad Catz products infringed on Freedom patents 6,878,066 and 6,280,327. Mad…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
Catz denied the allegation. It said the case was “still in the early stages and no discovery has been requested by either party.” No trial date is set, it said. Mad Catz said “we intend to vigorously defend the allegations of the complaint” but “there can be no guarantee that we will ultimately prevail or that damages will not be assessed” against it. The accessory maker warned that “an adverse determination by the court or jury could seriously impact our revenues and our ability to continue to distribute the GameShark products.” The company also said a trial date was set for Aug. 31 in its court battle with rival Electro Source (Pelican). The company sued Mad Catz and Fire International in early 2003 in L.A. Superior Court. In an amended complaint filed in Nov. 2003, Electro Source accused Mad Catz of misappropriation of trade secrets and other acts relating to Fire’s deal to supply Mad Catz with products to be marketed under the GameShark brand and the termination of Fire’s alleged prior business relationship with Electro Source. The latter requested a temporary restraining order to stop Mad Catz from marketing or distributing GameShark products. Mad Catz said that motion was denied and it filed a cross complaint against Electro Source in Feb. 2005, accusing the latter of false advertising, state and federal unfair competition, libel per se and trade libel, over ads and Internet statements. Mad Catz said in the same filing that its 3 top retail customers in fiscal 2005 -- Wal-Mart, EB Games and GameStop - accounted for about 47% of its fiscal 2005 gross sales.