Just when you thought Sony versus Immersion was the only controller patent fight in town, a company called Interlink comes along and claims that Nintendo stole its idea. The Camarillio, CA-based company holds patent 6,850,221, filed back in September 1997 and issued to Interlink in February 2005, which details "a portable, trigger operated pointing device for use with an electronically responsive system, the pointing device comprising: a housing for location at least partly between a first finger and a thumb of a user's hand."

Although the device is intended for ergonomic mouse control of a personal computer, the patent infringement claim (found by Kotaku) does contain some diagrams that look remarkably similar to Nintendo's design for the Wii remote.

Interlink claims that by making and selling controllers for its Wii console, Nintendo of America has and is continuing to infringe on their patent, and that the company has "suffered damages, including but not limited to, loss of reasonable royalties, reduced sales and/or lost profits as a result of infringing activities of the defendant, and will continue to suffer such damage as long as those infringing activities continue."

Consequently, Interlink is seeking a preliminary and permanent injunction on Nintendo's product, damages along with prejudgment interest and costs, and a trial by jury.

GameDaily BIZ has pinged Nintendo and will update if/when they comment on this story.