I haven't read US patents numbers 8,082,501, 7,493,558, 7,945,856 and 7,181,690 titled “System and Method for Enabling Users to Interact in a Virtual Space”.  But it seems to me that what they have patented is the concept of using Distributed computing in an online world.  "Worlds’ patents include, but are not limited to, the various aspects of the information transmission and processing that allow the users to view in real time where other users and background objects are in relation to their own position as they move about in the virtual space." _Forbes  Heck, this sounds like the own Z-Buffering.  But realize that these patents are for concepts not implementation (code).

If the A / B lawyers were smart (but what lawyer is?), they would show that Distributed computing is just the implementation of Dynamic memory allocation on a server structure.  You know what the boils down to?  They didn't invent the shoe, but they patented walking and wearing shoes.  So pay up!  Also realize that NCSoft has settled out of court on this over City of Heroes.

More Americans trying to control the net.

it seems every week someone is trying to sue Blizzard, like that guy who sued them because the world took to long to travel through without a mount?

The cost to fight an acual case is just rediculous, but what i've seen from Blizzard/activision is that they do not let there pride get hurt....meaning they would probably pay an extra million dollars just to draw out the case and bankrupt that spec of a company.

This is getting funny by the min.

Worlds' Inc:

"“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 [...] 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.”"

Thier latest "game" currnetly in "development" DMC World this picture is from 2008(the earliest):

I've seen better websites built by 12 yr olds, heck even the banner looks like somthing was done in paint...

http://www.dmcworlds.com

http://www.worlds.com/about.html

And ofc their huge offices where 100's of employees develop the latest techonlogies...

http://g.co/maps/awz5w

For more information contact:
Worlds.com, Inc.
11 Royal Road Brookline, MA 02445

Patents are useless. There will always be a prior art get out clause. Not to mention Blizz could just buyout Worlds Inc and then cremate them in a very big furnace. Many times. I have never seen a company with a death wish before, it should be interesting.

Sounds like a butt hurt company that couldnt figure out how to make money connecting people online even though they were doing it before everyone else, so now they are going to sue everyone that figured out how to do it profitably.

Unless you can crack open Blizzards code and find a bunch of stuff in there from world's inc there is not a damn thing they can do about online gaming  This is almost as bad as someone saying they have a patent on the internet and surfing the web.

Originally posted by Unreal024

Originally posted by hfztt

I guess you just haveto build in the relativity theroy into you rendering engine, then you are working in 4D and thus not under this patent...

I hate silly patents...

Even that wouldn't help. As I understand it, they hold several patents, one of which deals with the use of 'their' technology in a 3D environment. But, other patents deal with the use of the tech in any environment. Basically, they can go after any company that has ever produced a mutliplayer game.

  No, I don't think that's the case....if it were, their patents would be invalidated, as the technologies existed 13 years (minimum) before they were patented (in 1997) by Worlds Inc.  Island of kesmai, MPBT, Air warrior all made use of those techs - just that they weren't 3D

There's no doubt the patent system in the U.S. is broken and software patents are a problem.

 Don't these trolls sometimes get sent packing by the courts? see Jagex vs. Paltalk

I for one am a fan of  companies, like Jagex  for example, that  take  a stand and make an example of these patent trolls. We need more.

As I understand it prior art still applies but for small to medium sized companies the costs of litigation are prohibitive.

I guess we could help by contacting our elected reps, start Twitter campaigns etc. but we have to pick our battles right?  I mean now we have CISPA to worry about!

Some links re: software patents

Bilski, of course:  

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilski_v._Kappos

Jagex vs. Paltalk

  http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/122214/UKBased_RuneScape_Dev_Jagex_Wins_Patent_Infringement_Lawsuit.php

IP Watchdog on Patent trolls

http://www.ipwatchdog.com/patent-trolls/

Analysis of Bilski

http://www.bitlaw.com/software-patent/bilski-and-software-patents.html

Petition to the Whitehouse  

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/direct-patent-office-cease-issuing-software-patents/vvNslSTq

When I applied for a software patent, my company hired an outside patent attorney to help me file it. He explained a couple of things, but one of the most memorable was his description of a patent for a pencil with an eraser.

There was a patent for a lead based pencil. And a separate patent for the eraser. Now, combining the pencil and eraser is yet ANOTHER patent.

In my case, the software was used as a process to produce a physical item, so it qualified to be patented. In 1986, when this happened, software was not really patentable on its own. Since the result of my software process could not be identified as different than if someone had done the process manually, the patent could not be protected, and instead became a company trade secret.

This kind of patent infringement, and companies that specialize in suing for it, has been around a loooong time in the high tech world. Heck, the Apple I had a stolen processor design in it, and Apple had to change it!

Originally posted by Mavacar

First I was starting to laugh...

then I remembered this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald%27s_Restaurants - 2,7 million for burning herself on McDonalds coffee with one claim that "The cup had no warning label for hot beverage", don't get me wrong I'm thankful for that her medical bills were payed for and a little extra - just not 2,7 million because that's just a screwed up justice system.

So then I got sad for western mmo's cause I trust the justice system over there just as much as I would trust Sarah Palin with a copy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Origin_of_Species

You know, I use to think it was an absurd judgement until I learned the facts of the case, saw her injuries, and learned the reasoning behind the verdict.

Her burn injuries were horrific.  There were already warning labels on the coffee, but they weren't very large.  But Mcdonalds had received over 700 hundred complaints and lawsuits from coffee burns in the decade leading upto the incident.  The temperature of her coffee was over 180 degrees.

The reasoning for the large settlement was the jury felt 1 day of coffee profits was justified punishment to an entity that ONLY cares about profit, for 700+ complaints and lawsuits of burns from exceedingly hot coffee.

I mean yeah, if you care about a sociopathic entity that only cares about profit, then it does seem like an absurd judgement.  But if you care about people, and don't like to see corperations repeatedly harming people and getting away with it, well then,yeah...

Another stupid lawsuit. Seriously this Worlds Inc has been doing it for the past 10 or so years. They keep trying to sue MMO companies hoping for out of court settlement because it's cheaper to settle than let the lawsuit drag on for years. This company has been dead (without any legitimate product or services) for the past decade or so and only shows up on the news when they try to sue some legit MMO company. Their lawsuit is pretty frivulous, ridiculous and highlights what's fucked up in the US Patent system.

Isn't there some type of time limitation? Why couldn't Worlds Inc. sue WoW in 2004 or EQ in 99?

In fact, what is Worlds Inc. known for? lol. Have they done anything?

Originally posted by mmoDAD

Isn't there some type of time limitation? Why couldn't Worlds Inc. sue WoW in 2004 or EQ in 99?

In fact, what is Worlds Inc. known for? lol. Have they done anything?

Supposedly they "pioneered" the client server architecture or so they claim. Their claim is soo vague it's a wonder how they even managed to get their "patent" accepted by the US Patent Office. Basically their claim is they "pionneered" the "idea" of being able to display objects and text in an virtual space. Like the above poster said they claim they invented how to walk... so metaphorically speaking they claim the patent to "walking" and any kind of footware since invented. It's totally bullshit.