Hillcrest files patent suit against Nintendo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hillcrest Laboratories asked a trade panel to determine if Nintendo Co (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and its U.S. subsidiary have infringed four patents to make its top-selling Wii game, according to a filing on Wednesday and a Hillcrest statement.

The technology company made the request in a filing to the International Trade Commission, which has the power to bar products from the United States if they are made with infringed technology.

The company, which is based in Rockville, Maryland, filed a similar lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Maryland.

Hillcrest created motion-detecting technology that lets users select items on a television screen by waving a handheld device.

"Leading consumer electronics companies, not all of whom have been disclosed publicly, have already licensed Hillcrest's technology for use in their products," Hillcrest said in a statement.

"While Hillcrest Labs has a great deal of respect for Nintendo and the Wii, Hillcrest Labs believes that Nintendo is in clear violation of its patents and has taken this action to protect its intellectual property rights," it added.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz and Kenneth Li; Editing by Maureen Bavdek)