All MMO bases are belong to Worlds.com?

[Xgemina]

Just saw this interesting article. Apparently, Worlds.com invented the environment that apparently all MMOs use. Well, at least thats the way their patent and lawsuit reads against NCsoft (Tabula Rasa, Guild Wars, Lineage and City of Heroes).

The patent in question describes methods to allow a user to "interact with other users in a virtual space" through a server, with an avatar representing each user.

The patent's abstract reads in part, "The present invention provides a highly scalable architecture for a three-dimensional graphical, multi-user, interactive virtual world system."

http://www.betanews.com/article/Virt...Eve/1230595222

Which sounds like every MMO out there. I wonder if they are successful at suing NCSoft if Blizzard is next along with every other company out there with a MMO.

Worlds.com's own website has several links to various articles about their lawsuit at:
http://www.worlds.com/news.html.

What do ya'll think?

[SableShadow]

Just another predatory lawsuit.

[Mhykke]

Just another predatory lawsuit.

Yeah, I need to get in on one of those.

[SableShadow]

Yeah, I need to get in on one of those.

"What do you call 100 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?"
"A good start."

[Borror0]

"What do you call 100 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?"
"A good start."

I thought you were going to say "A polluted sea."

[SableShadow]

I thought you were going to say "A polluted sea."

Nah, just quoting an old joke at Mhykke, since he's not online for me to Grease into a pit or something.

[Magi]

Yeah, I need to get in on one of those.

I'll provide your financial representation

[Furysetzer]

Patent squatters make me angry.

[Yellfor]

I’m sorry to hear that World.com is suing NCSoft due to “Patent Infringement” on its supposed MMOG patent. There are a few things I’m sure you folks should know about.

Virtual World News quotes “Roth explained that the patent itself is actually continued on from a much earlier filing date, November 13, 1995, putting it ahead of NCsoft's founding in 1997.”

But AOL had a game (developed by Don Daglow and the Stormfront game design team started working with SSI,) called Neverwinter Nights that is considered the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) to display graphics, and ran from 1991 to 1997; and the multiplayer graphical flight combat game Air Warrior (from Kesmai) had been online since 1987. All these facts can be checked at Wiki and at the respected companies.

So basically World.com patented an idea that was developed by others, possible not illegal, but questionable. Also it could be argued that the idea was and is public domain.

[branmakmuffin]

I’m sorry to hear that World.com is suing NCSoft due to “Patent Infringement” on its supposed MMOG patent. There are a few things I’m sure you folks should know about.

Virtual World News quotes “Roth explained that the patent itself is actually continued on from a much earlier filing date, November 13, 1995, putting it ahead of NCsoft's founding in 1997.”

But AOL had a game (developed by Don Daglow and the Stormfront game design team started working with SSI,) called Neverwinter Nights that is considered the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) to display graphics, and ran from 1991 to 1997; and the multiplayer graphical flight combat game Air Warrior (from Kesmai) had been online since 1987. All these facts can be checked at Wiki and at the respected companies.

So basically World.com patented an idea that was developed by others, possible not illegal, but questionable. Also it could be argued that the idea was and is public domain.

That's called "prior art" (but don't quote me, as I not an expert on patents, nor am I a patent attorney).

The language quoted in the OP, allegedly from the patent itself, sounds overly broad to me (but insert above disclaimer here). Some company (I can't remember which) years ago tried to claim it had a patent on hypertext linking. I believe its lawsuits went nowhere (insert above disclaimer here).

Software patents should have never been granted (end of conjecture regarding factual situations, begin opinions). Patents are supposed to protect processes, not results. Software (and business model) patents protect results, or even mere ideas. Amazon tried to claim it had a patent on essentially the notion of storing customers' credit card numbers on their servers, and I believe sued Barnes & Nobel for infringement. As I recall, Amazon lost.

[DoctorWhofan]

I’m sorry to hear that World.com is suing NCSoft due to “Patent Infringement” on its supposed MMOG patent. There are a few things I’m sure you folks should know about.

Virtual World News quotes “Roth explained that the patent itself is actually continued on from a much earlier filing date, November 13, 1995, putting it ahead of NCsoft's founding in 1997.”

But AOL had a game (developed by Don Daglow and the Stormfront game design team started working with SSI,) called Neverwinter Nights that is considered the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) to display graphics, and ran from 1991 to 1997; and the multiplayer graphical flight combat game Air Warrior (from Kesmai) had been online since 1987. All these facts can be checked at Wiki and at the respected companies.

So basically World.com patented an idea that was developed by others, possible not illegal, but questionable. Also it could be argued that the idea was and is public domain.

I read it andthe patent discription. QUestion: I am not familiar with tech talk (or I missed it), but the patent says nothing about 3-d eviroment. It says a broad interaction of avatars in a computer generated world.

Personally It sounds like they are picking on a smaller MMO comapany becausethey really don't have alot to stand on. If I was sure on my patent, I'd take out Blizzard. Of course, I would probably go into hiding in a foreign country and change my name after winning, for the torches and pitchforks (and pocket protecters) would be out. YOu can be right, but sometimes its better to live and be wrong.