Level-5, best know for the Professor Layton series in America, has another major franchise underneath to its credit in Japan: Inazuma Eleven. The series, which has primarily existed on the Nintendo DS, combines traditional RPG with sports (soccer to be exact).
And the method of control that is used to move characters around the field has gotten the game's maker in serious legal trouble. According to Kotaku, Sega is suing the developer for patent infringement. Specifically the means in which one dictates character movement, either via the finger or stylus.
If you're confused, you're also not alone. At the moment, that are no details pertaining to Sega's case. Specifically how such a control method differs from all the other forms of touch control that have been on the Nintendo DS since day one.
Though it's also worth noting how one of the very first third party titles for the platform was a Sega product: Project Rub (known as Feel The Magic XY & XX in America). Perhaps something was introduced in that game that was finally replicated in Inazuma Eleven, years later?
Sega is currently asking a halt on all sales of Inazuma Eleven titles (there are currently eight on the market), plus 900 million yen in damages (which is around 11 million in US dollars). Meanwhile, Level-5 has responded by saying that they will fight the case in court.
