All the big MMO's getting sued.

[Cybsled]

How could that stand up? 2002? 1999? Tons of 3d stuff predates that.

[brekk]

Originally Posted by Cybsled

How could that stand up? 2002? 1999? Tons of 3d stuff predates that.

Marshall, Texas. Nuff said.

[namon]

Heck why stop at 3d? UO was out long before EQ, and weren't there games like Meridian even before that? These patent suits just are getting nuts, and is this the same guy who tried suing over controllers saying he had a patent on them? Not sure if it was the Wii, or whatever. I just remember some company came out of the wood work and sued over a patent.

[Sharmai]

How long does a company have to hold on to a patent without using it before it becomes null and void? It doesn't seem right that a company can get a patent and just sit on it for 7 years without using it and I can't recall enough from business law class on this subject to be sure about patent law.

[Wolfen]

Patent law is in a state of chaos these days. For a taste, read Techdirt every now and then.

[Velk]

Originally Posted by Tyen

United States Patent: 7206311

United States Patent: 6981223

I can't imagine the first one is going to fly - it's talking about a bittorrent-like setup for chat windows, where you send the message to a client along with instructions to forward it onto a set of other people.

If any MMOs are doing that I would be astonished - it's asking to get reamed by hackers.

The second one is interesting - it's pretty specific and definetly covers most MMO's implementation of tabbed message channels. Common sense would suggest prior art before 2002 though, weren't EQ1's chat channels like that when it launched in 97 ?

[Lambourne]

The patents were first filed in 1996 according to the announcement of the Microsoft settlement ( Paltalk Holdings Inc. and Microsoft Corp. Reach Settlement and Enter Licensing Agreement - PaltalkPR ). I would think there are still MUDs and BBS chat applications that predate that.

A Dutch IT news site says the Mircosoft case was settled for less than $200,000. I'm pretty sure Microsoft's legal team doesn't even get out of bed for that kind of money so the whole thing is probably just highway robbery via the courts. ( Mmog-makers aangeklaagd om data-sharingpatent | Games | Tweakers.net Nieuws dutch)

[Morsakin]

I think the sheer fact that they took their sweet time waiting this long to even bring it to court is a sign that their case has fail written all over it, regardless of the firm who has taken the case.

[Robxiii]

IANAL but this hasn't been tested in the courts yet, Microsoft probably settled because

A) It was cheaper than even one day of wrangling
B) Strengthens the patent trolls case to use on MS' competitors.

MS is still shady don't forget :P

[Northerner]

It's just harass for cash and the abomination that is texas circuit court whatever is the known venue for doing that.

[etchazz]

I patented breathing...all you fuckers owe me money!

[Digits]

This doesn't sound like anything special. Bullshit patent law suits are all the rage ever since scumbags started figured out they can make a garbage claim that are really the equivalent of 'Mmos wouldn't exist without our felt mouse pads!' and then blackball companies into settling for a fifth of what it would cost them to contest the charge. Filing fees are astronomical, and our entire litigation system is just embarrassing to the point where this scam actually works. That said, I don't see Blizzard backing down from this. Considering their track record with Warden and how vehemently they assert the rights given to them by their NDA I don't see how they'd let some shitbags try to claim WoW's existence is breaking patent law.

[Chrisb3]

Originally Posted by namon

Heck why stop at 3d? UO was out long before EQ, and weren't there games like Meridian even before that? These patent suits just are getting nuts, and is this the same guy who tried suing over controllers saying he had a patent on them? Not sure if it was the Wii, or whatever. I just remember some company came out of the wood work and sued over a patent.

Afaik, Nintendo has the patent for controllers.
I heard that Sony/Sega/Microsoft have been paying royalties for years. So basicly Nintendo actually made money off Playstation 3 and Xbox unlike their makers.

BRB patenting "holodecks".

[Rayne]

Originally Posted by Digits

That said, I don't see Blizzard backing down from this.

They don't even need to try and beat it. They'll tie it up in litigation for decades before they'll even consider giving up a single dollar. They won't bring "a lawyer". They'll bring an army of them. Because settling something like this will have lasting repercussions that no one will want to endure. Things like royalty payment for past, current, and future use, etc..

And thats well before consideration of how it may end up effecting the end-user in the long run (like increased sub fees to cover the lost revenue). That said, I hope the court that hears this farce has kids that play any of the most popular mmos. Shit won't stand a chance in any court. WoW is a worldwide household brand name now. And thats something I don't think these scumbags even considered when they named Blizzard.

[Tyrwin]

Originally Posted by Tyen

United States Patent: 7206311

United States Patent: 6981223

That first patent looks quite a bit like TCP multicast. I guess they could argue that they improved it, but it's very close.
Multicast over TCP/IP HOWTO