Microsoft and Immersion Corporation have settled their long dispute over force feedback technology. The maker of touch feedback technology had sued both Sony and Microsoft in 2002 for patent infringement related to the "rumble" feature on their controllers.
While Microsoft agreed to pay $26 million in 2003 to settle the dispute, the company also made a deal in which it was promised $15 million in the event that Immersion settled with Sony as well. Much later, in 2007, Sony and Immersion finally settled for the whopping sum of $121 million, but Immersion refused to pay and thus was sued.
Well, the dispute has finally come to an end, with a deal that in the end has enabled Microsoft to get much of its money back. Turns out that today's settlement resulted in Immersion making a one-time payment of $20.75 million to Microsoft and enrolling in Microsoft's Certified Partner Program. Additional terms of the settlement are confidential.