Meta Platforms Inc. built its industry-leading virtual reality headset by infringing Immersion Corp.’s patents, the smaller company has alleged in a lawsuit.
The market-dominating Meta Quest 2 infringes six patents covering 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-life forces, like blocking a punch in a virtual boxing game.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has pledged to spend $10 billion a year to bring his vision of a VR-enabled metaverse to life. Sales of Meta Quest 2 reached 8.7 million units in 2021, double that of the previous year, and the company owns 80% of the market.
Immersion is seeking an injunction blocking Meta’s use of the infringing technology and unspecified damages.
Meta representatives did not immediately respond outside of regular business hours to a request for comment.
Immersion, which specializes in haptic patents, is known for taking on some of the world’s largest companies in licensing disputes.