NCsoft hit with patent lawsuit Comments by Oli Welsh
Worlds.com claims it invented MMOs.
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Comments: 1-22 of 22 in total
Poster
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And this, people, is why patent law needs to be changed. It used to protect people whom needed protection from big companies... now it's a quick and easy buck.
It's another one of those vague patents, and I'm sorry, even I have a tough time believing this will see any serious courtroom trial. I'm surprised anyone can take patent law serious nowadays. |
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TheBoyChris
05/01/09 @ 19:04
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The question is, did Worlds.com actually do anything with this patent in the mean time? Did they actually make anything?
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insincere_dave
05/01/09 @ 19:22
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I hold the patent for being a leeching, cynical corporation... worlds.com watch out!
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Try lodging this against Blizzard, Worlds.com
I dare you. And try citing it against Gravity, the Makers of Ragnarok Online. I dare you once again. And here's one more. I dare you to lodge this against Richard 'Lord British' Garriott, the original designer of Ultima Online. OHWAIT. Ultima Online was released in 1997, three level-grinding years before your drop-in-the-ocean surfaced. Bye bye, Worlds.com. |
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"The suit, filed to NCsoft's Austin, Texas offices on Christmas Eve, names all of NCsoft's games, from old timer Lineage to newcomer Aion. All of these were released after Worlds.com's patent was filed"
in the US.. which for stupid IP Suits is all that matters - Bloody US patent system is F*&KED UP. Lineage was released in 1998 (in Korea) Looks like SCO and Linux all over again |
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daz_john_smith
05/01/09 @ 20:02
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Penny Arcade hitting the nail on the head as usual. All the MMO Dev's should band together, get some high priced lawyers and crush these little twerps and teach them a lesson. If they don't and they win against against the currently weak NCSoft then Worlds.com are going the have an easier job afterwards targetting the bigger players
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 05/01/09 @ 20:03
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Sunyavadin
05/01/09 @ 20:58
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There are several programs going back to before even 1995 which did this. Not to mention how much is on the client end in the worlds patent, which most MMOs handle server side (To prevent cheating).
However unlikely a win for worlds.com may be, I may spend some pocket change on a few thousand shares in their nigh-bankrupt company just in case they DO win and I become an overnight millionaire after they sue Blizzard, sony, and all the rest...... |
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'Just been on their website, the technology they use looks shit and something knocked up by one of those pc game creator languages like Blitz3d. Also the client list looks very strange (i.e. not many), surely they should be going for second life blah blah as that fits the same model rather than MMO.
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Sunyavadin
05/01/09 @ 21:25
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Yeah Fatboy, Second Life or Activeworlds.
The scary thing is just how MANY companies are potential victims of this. If it's allowed you can expect dozens to go bust from it. In the bizarro world in which they win worlds.com will be richer than GOD. And the market will suffer massively. |
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I seriously doubt other companies will sit by and let this happen. If they are sucessful comapanies like Blizzard would lose a hell of alot of money. Its likely NCsoft will have alot of 'support' from other big players, meaning worlds.com will be crushed into oblivion, or the more likely scenerio, accept a settlement.
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OHWAIT. Ultima Online was released in 1997, three level-grinding years before your drop-in-the-ocean surfaced.
Except that it's a continuation patent from an application filed in November 1996, so the cut off date for prior art is that date rather than the actual August 2000 filing date. Still, I think it's too vague to hold any real water. Also, it shouldn't be too difficult to prove that a game like Ultima was already a long time in development by November 1996. For one thing, I believe it was announced and showcased at E3 earlier that year. |
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Not sure how these things work but is it possible for Blizzard to jump in and help defend NCSoft?
But to me this seems more like a basic premise patent, it's like trying patenting the 3D shooter or racing games!! hell what if some paternted "a game played on a board, where players move playing piece between board segments or squares" You have to wonder if the person in the patent office who signed this off in the first place was behind on quota so didn't bother checking it out fully. edit: on another thought is it possible for them claim the trial as non-constitutional as clearly they are NOT being tried by a dury of their piers. But by a group of a somewhat biast nature?
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 06/01/09 @ 09:20
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Robkinsons
06/01/09 @ 11:15
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If they pull this off they will make a lot of money, somehow I can't see them taking on Blizzard though.
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They'll be going after Sony and Home next! lol!
http://www.google.com/patents?id=h8YiAAA... This is why we can't have nice things :( |
Comments: 1-22 of 22 in total
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