Sony, Blizzard and Turbine sued over patent

Author: Joe Martin
Published: 17th September 2009
Comments (17) Stumble
Sony, Blizzard and Turbine sued over patent

Tubrine, Blizzard, Jagex and Sony are all being sued over a patent held by Paltalk Holdings Inc.

Turbine, the developer behind Dungeons & Dragons Online, has become embroiled in a whole new legal snafu in addition to suing (and being sued by) Atari over problems with the aforementioned game. The developer is now also being sued for patent infringement.

Turbine isn't the only defendant in the case either; Blizzard, Sony, NCSoft and Jagex are all being targeted in a case filed by Paltalk Holdings Inc.

The patent in question is a typically ambiguous one too, covering the basics of how multiple players in diffferent locations can still see the same events in real-time, according to The Boston Globe.

Paltalk apparently bought the patents in 2002 and has previously reached a successful settlement with Microsoft, who were alleged to have infringed the patent in Halo. The fact that Microsoft came to a settlement back in March will potentially make it a lot harder for the defendants to dispute the case.

While Turbine is being targeted over D&D Online, Sony is being sued over EverQuest, Blizzard for World of Warcraft, NCSoft for Guild of Heroes and Jagex for Runescape.

Tired of annoying and trivial lawsuits? Let us know in the forums.
Quote RichCreedy 17th September 2009, 13:09
i really hate these so called patent infringements, i think its about time the courts, just threw them out, it's clearly just a money making exercise

i dont think software should be covered under patents, all it does is cause problems for other developers, who could use code they think is their own, but actually someone else used first.

generic patents should be banned( ie, i think you could make something like this, but i wont actually make it, i'll wait for someone to make it then sue them)
Quote matee 17th September 2009, 13:15
What I can't understand is how come someone granted such patent. At the time where were already number of games using this "feature" e.g. Diablo.
Quote scawp 17th September 2009, 13:16
Software patents suck ass, I just hope they never get introduced in Europe....or I'm out of a job :-p
Quote proxess 17th September 2009, 13:20
Guild of Heroes? Do you mean City of Heroes or Guild Wars? It's difficult when you're thinking of both isn't it? Hehe.

Another Patent Crazy Idiot.
Quote TreeDude 17th September 2009, 13:34
Quote:
Originally Posted by matee
What I can't understand is how come someone granted such patent. At the time where were already number of games using this "feature" e.g. Diablo.

I happens a lot unfortunately. The US patent system is horrible.
Quote pizan 17th September 2009, 14:06
Can I patent broad Patenting then trolling them?
Quote cjoyce1980 17th September 2009, 14:34
Quote:
Originally Posted by scawp
Software patents suck ass, I just hope they never get introduced in Europe....or I'm out of a job :-p

they do, its called Intellectual property rights..... so collect your P45 now! :)
Quote Thacrudd 17th September 2009, 14:42
ridiculous. That's so vague it's like trying to patent BREATHING
Quote Techno-Dann 17th September 2009, 16:16
We need to re-write patent law so it goes back to what it was before: a protection for development time. Set it up so sure, you can patent something, but if you aren't making real progress towards a marketable product within a year or so, it goes public domain.
Quote Molajoku 17th September 2009, 18:11
quote: We need to re-write patent law so it goes back to what it was before: a protection for development time. Set it up so sure, you can patent something, but if you aren't making real progress towards a marketable product within a year or so, it goes public domain.

+1
Quote Javerh 17th September 2009, 19:19
You can patent almost anything. That doesn't mean those patents will hold in court, though.
Quote FeRaL 17th September 2009, 19:41
Quote:
Originally Posted by matee
What I can't understand is how come someone granted such patent. At the time where were already number of games using this "feature" e.g. Diablo.
Yah,
Asheron's Call
All the Mechwarrior games
pretty much every FPS done prior to 2002...
Quote Dreaming 17th September 2009, 22:19
Quote:
Originally Posted by Techno-Dann
We need to re-write patent law so it goes back to what it was before: a protection for development time. Set it up so sure, you can patent something, but if you aren't making real progress towards a marketable product within a year or so, it goes public domain.

+2
Quote ThunderBob 18th September 2009, 03:18
Errr didnt Everquest come out BEFORE 2002 when they got the patent?

Surely you cant sue someone that created the product BEFORE you did your patent......

Hmmmm. Going to head to the patent office to patent a four wheeled motorized transport vehicle!! Watch out Ford, Ferrari, Porsche etc lol
Quote Blademrk 18th September 2009, 10:40
I want to patent a system to sue people who patent things just to sue other people (yo dawg, we heard you like to patent things to sue people so we stuck a patent in your patent...etc..) just to get rid of all these stupid law suits :(
Quote Bursar 18th September 2009, 11:19
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThunderBob
Errr didnt Everquest come out BEFORE 2002 when they got the patent?

Surely you cant sue someone that created the product BEFORE you did your patent......

Hmmmm. Going to head to the patent office to patent a four wheeled motorized transport vehicle!! Watch out Ford, Ferrari, Porsche etc lol
They bought the patents in 2002. The article doesn't say when they were applied for, nor when they were granted.
Quote LordPyrinc 19th September 2009, 00:43
I read the other linked article about where these suits are typically being judged, Marshall, Texas. Maybe those judges in that city need to be removed from the bench since they seem to be patent troll friendly. It is at least insinuated by the article that Marshall is the place to go if you want to win as a plaintiff in a patent lawsuit. Makes one wonder if there might be some sort of corruption going on in this relatively small area in Texas if the judges seem to typically side with the plaintiff's in these frivolous cases.
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