Toy lawsuit ends in favor of Colorado professor

A company headed by a Colorado professor who invented a strategy board game has won a $1.6 million patent infringement verdict.

The Gazette reports that Michael Larson developed a game call Khet, a strategy board game using lasers and mirrors (http://bit.ly/TkNl7F).

Larson and two of his former students at Tulane University own Innovention Toys LLC, based in New Orleans. Larson now works at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Innovention prevailed in a patent infringement against MGA, Wal-Mart Stores and Toys R Us. A federal court in New Orleans found that MGA’s Laser Battle game, sold through the two retailers, infringed on Innovention’s patent for Khet.

Larson told The Gazette that the patent ruling was “an important battle” but that the jury verdict will barely cover legal fees.