Meta Platforms Inc. built its industry-leading virtual reality headset by infringing Immersion Corp.’s patents, the smaller company claimed in a lawsuit.
Meta Platforms Inc. built its industry-leading virtual reality headset by infringing Immersion Corp.’s patents, the smaller company claimed in a lawsuit.
The Meta Quest 2, which dominates the market, infringes on six patents for haptic technology, Immersion said in a complaint filed Thursday in federal court in Waco, Texas. In video game systems and controllers, haptics allow users to experience vibrations that mimic real forces, such as blocking a punch in a virtual boxing game.
Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has pledged to spend $10 billion a year to bring his vision of a virtual reality-enabled metaverse to life. Meta Quest 2 sales reached 8.7 million units in 2021, twice as many as the previous year, and the company owns 80% of the market.
Immersion is demanding a court order blocking Meta’s use of the infringing technology and unspecified damages.
Meta representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of regular business hours.
Immersion, which specializes in haptics patents, is known for taking on some of the world’s largest companies in licensing disputes.
The case is Immersion Corp. v. Meta Platforms Inc., 22-cv-541, US District Court, Western District of Texas (Waco).
