Nintendo's Wiimotes are catching some serious buzz, but they're also the target of lawsuits concerning controller technologies.  Yesterday, Maryland-based electronics company Hillcrest Laboratories has thrown down its legal gauntlet against the console giant, filing both a patent infringement suit in the U.S. District Court in Maryland as well as a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission for patent violation by an imported product.  Nintendo was previously forced to pay $21 million USD to Texas-based Anascape earlier this year in a similiar case, but the infringing tech amounted to the GameCube, wireless WaveBird and Wii Classic controllers.  Of course, Nintendo is appealing that decision.

The items Hillcrest claims are in violation of four patents used in its own "The Loop" remote control are the Wiimote's motion control technology, and navigational elements of the Wii's interactive user interface.  Hillcrest is naturally seeking to recover damages to compensate for Nintendo's alleged infringment in its civil suit.  Meanwhile, by bringing in the ITC, imports of Wii consoles could be block if the Wiimote tech is indeed found to be in violation of Hillcrest's patents.  However, the ITC will need to investigate Hillcrest's complaint; a decision could take up to 15 months to finalize.

Hillcrest Labs' The Loop