Friday, April 13th 2012

Activision Blizzard Being Sued for Virtual World Infringement

by
TheMailMan78
 Discuss (54 Comments)
ShackNews is reporting Activision Blizzard is being sued by Worlds Inc., for violating a patent on virtual worlds. The firm claims that games like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft violate its patent, and are requesting "fair compensation." The patent covers a "system and method for enabling users to interact in a virtual space," reports Games Industry International. That may sound broad, but the company did manage to get an undisclosed settlement out of NCSoft for City of Heroes in 2010. "Technologies created by Worlds have helped the businesses of virtual worlds gaming and the sale of virtual goods to grow into a multi-billion dollar industry," said Worlds CEO Thom Kidrin. "While we are pleased to see that the gaming industry and its rapidly growing customer base have enthusiastically embraced our patented technologies, we deserve fair compensation for their use." No response yet from Activision Blizzard.
Source: ShackNews

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54 Comments on Activision Blizzard Being Sued for Virtual World Infringement

#3
Disparia
Wrong move Worlds Inc. If you thought Trayon Martin brought the "outcry", just wait until millions of WoW players descend on your office to eat the flesh of your employees.
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#4
Kreij
Senior Monkey Moderator
Crikey ... the abstract alone covers just about every 3D MMO in existance and all dedicated servers for 3D games too.
Posted on Reply
#5
yogurt_21
KreijCrikey ... the abstract alone covers just about every 3D MMO in existance and all dedicated servers for 3D games too.
no crap, if they win this the gaming industry is in deep s.
Posted on Reply
#6
digibucc
though there is a lot there it does all seem pretty general. ncsoft may have just been paying a nuisance fee. maybe blizzard will do the same but i doubt there's much merit to the claims.
i would like to see what "Technologies created by Worlds" they are referring to other than the vague and pretty obvious description of how a virtual world could function.
Posted on Reply
#7
RejZoR
Patent system is a big massive fail and should just die in a current form. What, should i patent vending machines inside games and collect royalties for that? C'mon, get real.
Posted on Reply
#8
araditus
Look at the filing date, just months after everquest I think, do you think they had the foresight of knowing just what MMOs would become, if so, I think they deserve all they can get for calling it and putting their claim on it first, imo, (thats the investor professional side of me coming out)

(now for the gaming human side) I think it sucks that you can patent this way, I mean it seems like they have patented a rudimentary thing. Unless there is a certain coding structure, but this kind of patent reminds me of slide to unlock
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#9
eidairaman1
The Exiled Airman
another lame ass claim
Posted on Reply
#10
TheMailMan78
Big Member
eidairaman1another lame ass claim
I agree its lame. But its valid. I mean they did call it almost perfectly (the MMO) back in 1996.
Posted on Reply
#11
yogurt_21
araditusLook at the filing date, just months after everquest I think, do you think they had the foresight of knowing just what MMOs would become, if so, I think they deserve all they can get for calling it and putting their claim on it first, imo, (thats the investor professional side of me coming out)

(now for the gaming human side) I think it sucks that you can patent this way, I mean it seems like they have patented a rudimentary thing. Unless there is a certain coding structure, but this kind of patent reminds me of slide to unlock
actually that could invalidate the patent based on prior art argument. Were I Activision Blizzard, that's exactly what I would do.
Posted on Reply
#12
TheMailMan78
Big Member
yogurt_21actually that could invalidate the patent based on prior art argument. Were I Activision Blizzard, that's exactly what I would do.
Its not the intellectual property thats in question. Its the concept of execution.

In simple terms its not the design of the car thats in question. Its the idea of the car itself.

Its a tough legal fight from both sides IMO. I can't believe I'm rooting for Activision......but I am. However I do believe Worlds Inc. is right in their claim sadly.
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#14
xBruce88x
... sounds like a virtual Rambus to me
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#15
Frick
Fishfaced Nincompoop
Even if it's valid they shouldn't have waited so long. But they did and now it's to late.
Posted on Reply
#16
eidairaman1
The Exiled Airman
FrickEven if it's valid they shouldn't have waited so long. But they did and now it's to late.
all these companies that we never heard of pull this shit all the time because they just want to cash in on someone elses success
Posted on Reply
#17
Sp33d Junki3
Stupid claim. only reason to sue Blizzard/Activision is they are a very big money company.
They might as well sue, Sony, Square Enix, Microsoft, Codemasters, Funcom, Gravity, Turbine... and many others that all have MMO games.

This is a wasted lawsuit, that they 100% will lose.
Posted on Reply
#18
Inceptor
The lesson here, create a company, file a patent with a broad application, then sue other companies for patent infringement in order to make money.
Only in the United States of America would patent trolling be allowed and considered a legitimate form of business.
What a waste.
Posted on Reply
#19
TheMailMan78
Big Member
InceptorThe lesson here, create a company, file a patent with a broad application, then sue other companies for patent infringement in order to make money.
Only in the United States of America would patent trolling be allowed and considered a legitimate form of business.
What a waste.
I'm not so sure its a broad description. Its honestly pretty detailed. It gonna be a challenge if Activision Blizzard fight it.
Posted on Reply
#20
Kreij
Senior Monkey Moderator
Sp33d Junki3Stupid claim. only reason to sue Blizzard/Activision is they are a very big money company.
Well yeah, doesn't make sense to sue a very small money company. :D
They might as well sue, Sony, Square Enix, Microsoft, Codemasters, Funcom, Gravity, Turbine... and many others that all have MMO games.
They probably will.
This is a wasted lawsuit, that they 100% will lose.
Depends on the courts and those involved.
Posted on Reply
#21
TheMailMan78
Big Member
KreijWell yeah, doesn't make sense to sue a very small money company. :D



They probably will.



Depends on the courts and those involved.
Exactly. This is a precedence case. If they win this case the others will be easy pickings.
Posted on Reply
#22
Mistral
TheMailMan78I agree its lame. But its valid. I mean they did call it almost perfectly (the MMO) back in 1996.
BS. MUD, Ultima Online and tons of others would like to call "previous art" on a lot of the "points" in that patent. Slapping the Z axis as your claim to fame is far more than simply lame.

Frigging US patent system needs a very serious overhaul.
Posted on Reply
#23
TheMailMan78
Big Member
MistralBS. MUD, Ultima Online and tons of others would like to call "previous art" on a lot of the "points" in that patent. Slapping the Z axis as your claim to fame is far more than simply lame.

Frigging US patent system needs a very serious overhaul.
Ultima Online didn't come out until 1997. MUD doesn't use 3d environments. Meridian 59 might be able to make an argument but the studio no longer exists. (Archetype Interactive) Who ever owns that IP will be good shape. Other people.....not so much.
Posted on Reply
#24
Inceptor
TheMailMan78Exactly. This is a precedence case. If they win this case the others will be easy pickings.
They 'won' against City of Heroes, they already have precedent, that's why they're going after the giant in the MMO industry that is Activision Blizzard. If they win that one, all other lawsuits vs the other MMO companies will likely go to private settlements as soon as the lawsuits are filed.
Posted on Reply
#25
TheMailMan78
Big Member
InceptorThey 'won' against City of Heroes, they already have precedent, that's why they're going after the giant in the MMO industry that is Activision Blizzard. If they win that one, all other lawsuits vs the other MMO companies will likely go to private settlements as soon as the lawsuits are filed.
Very true. I guess City of Heroes was the precedence case. Smart move on their part. Win that one as they will have less of a legal team, set the precedence and go after the BIG boys.
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