Former Sony employee Hidehiro Kume was the man behind the optical device that was used to read and write discs that were used with the original PS1 and PlayStation 2. He believed that Sony did not fully appreciate his contribution to the development of the gaming devices, so he took his former employer to court.
A lower Japanese court, however, did not agree with the compensation claim and thusly rejected it. However, a Japanese higher court did rule that Sony must pay Kume a reward for the invention, a total of ¥5.1 million (roughly US$60,000). Kume was seeking ¥100 million.
"I thank the court for identifying some of my contributions to the company," Kume said after the ruling. "But the company should have appreciated my contributions when I was an employee."
Sony replied to the ruling with dissatisfaction, citing that they regretted the latest court decision. Sony officials will review the ruling before deciding how to proceed.
[Thanks iStock Analyst]
