Nintendo’s attorneys systematically dismantled Atari Video games in a landmark 1989 authorized battle that reshaped the gaming business, killing off the Tengen model till its shock resurrection not too long ago.
When Atari Video games (working as Tengen) tried to avoid Nintendo’s management by reverse-engineering the NES safety system, Nintendo’s authorized workforce found a deadly flaw of their rival’s strategy: Atari had fraudulently obtained Nintendo’s proprietary code from the Copyright Workplace by falsely claiming they have been defendants in a nonexistent lawsuit.
Although courts in the end established that reverse engineering was authorized underneath honest use ideas, Atari’s deception proved catastrophic. The choose invoked the centuries-old “unclean palms” doctrine, ruling that Atari couldn’t declare honest use safety after approaching the court docket in unhealthy religion.
“On account of its attorneys’ filthy palms, Atari was barred from manufacturing video games for the NES. Nintendo, with its stronger authorized workforce, subsequently ‘bled Atari to demise,'” writes tech business lawyer Julien Mailland. The court docket ordered the recall of Tengen’s “Tetris” model, now a uncommon collector’s merchandise.
After a 30-year absence, Tengen Video games returned in July 2024 with “Zed and Zee” for the NES, lastly reaching what its predecessor was legally prohibited from doing.
