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Kristophe
Obi-Wan Kermobi
Joined: 26 Apr 2004
Posts: 4
Location: The Outer Banks of NC, USA |
| Game Makers Hit With Graphics Patent Violation Suit - Articl |
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The Register's Tony Smith has this rather startling <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/11/03/game_cos_3d_lawsuit/" target="_blank">report</a> re the filing against of a 3D Graphics Patent Violation lawsuit by the Texas-based McKool Smith law firm...
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<br><blockquote><em>A US legal firm specialising into corporate law is taking the world's biggest computer games publishers to task over what it claims is the violation of a 1987 3D graphics patent.
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<br>The patent, number 4,734,690 is owned one-time printing and graphics specialist Tektronix and covers the display in 2D of a 3D image. It was filed in April 1987 and granted almost a year later.
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<br><blockquote><em>Given its ubiquity, the firm behind the suit, Dallas, Texas-based McKool Smith, has named all the big guns in the gaming industry, including Electronic Arts, Activision, Take Two, Ubisoft, Atari, THQ, Vivendi Universal, Sega, Square Enix, Tecmo, Lucasarts and Namco. Some smaller firms are also in line for action, apparently.
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<br>Prior art may yet come to their rescue. Early 3D games, such as The Colony and Spectre, released in the late 1980s, may just come in ahead of the 1987 filing. Early CAD and 3D graphics apps may also utilise the kind of process outlined in the patent, which doesn't explicitly focus on games, though that's clearly where the money is these days. Heck, even Elite, from the BBC Micro days, might well utilise such a techique. ®
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Thu Nov 04, 2004 7:01 pm |
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Chekote
Where’s my Banana?!?!
Joined: 08 Mar 2002
Posts: 1540
Location: Dont know, looks kind of green |
I am sure they will be just as successful as those people who tried to sue for their patent on "text hyperlinks" 
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IMHO my opinion is humble |
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Thu Nov 04, 2004 7:02 pm |
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TheMadGamer
High Emperor
Joined: 03 May 2002
Posts: 487
Location: Southern California |
The law firm won't win. These kinds of patents are dubious at best and designed simply for being a tool to milk businesses for easy cash.
This http://www.youmaybenext.com/ group of businesses went through a similar situation with an unethical lawfirm based in San Diego California. This lawfirm alleged they held a patent for all web based transactions and were therefore entitled to a percentage of sales from any company generating revenues from web based transactions.
But unlike the lawfirm going after the big name publishers described in this newsbit, this lawfirm went after small businesses scattered outside of California. Forget the Best Buys and Nordstroms - they'd have too much money for a legal battle - go after the mom and pop shops in other states who don't have much money and will probably settle.
Damn lawyers. We need less.
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The Poster Previously Known As NeptiOfPovar |
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Thu Nov 04, 2004 10:04 pm |
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hammermd23
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 26 Oct 2002
Posts: 48
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BWAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAH!!!!
That's the stupidest thing i've ever heard!!!
Man! I'm gonna patent a four-legged device connected to a seat pan that allows you to sit down, and then sue all the chair companies in the world...!
WTF?!?!?! HAHAHAHA |
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Thu Nov 04, 2004 10:04 pm |
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Lutrian
Guest
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Let's see. A year or two before this patent was filed, I was dicking around with something called Cad 3d on my Atari ST, written by the same guy who would later work on 3d Studio and 3d Studio Max, Tom Hudson himself. I would make 3d objects, pan then, zoom in and zoom out, etc., Even in real time if the poly count wasn't too bad. Sounds like a violation of this patent... in 1986. Oh yea, don't forget Tron, and The Last Starfighter, early CG movie work which used similar tools in the late 70s to early 80s. |
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Fri Nov 05, 2004 3:32 am |
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Lutrian
Guest
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| Oh, and lets not forget... |
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.... plopping a few quarters into a Battlezone arcade machine back in 1981. Panning, zooming all that wonderful stuff, in a sparce but serviceable 3d environment. |
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Fri Nov 05, 2004 3:37 am |
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Lucky Day
Guest
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ah yes...battlezone. You could make an argument for Star Wars as well.
y'now someone managed to patent a bean based on he made it yellow? yet a woman had been importing yellow beans for years and suddenly he's demanding royalties from her. she decided to stay out of the market she created in the US for now. |
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Fri Nov 05, 2004 9:29 am |
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Fez
Fearless Paladin
Joined: 08 Dec 2001
Posts: 240
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Madness. This is why a good old nuclear war could be a good thing, at least in the world of Fallout you don't need to put up with blood-sucking lawyers.
Unless someone finds a way to put a halt to these kind of cases they are going to happen more and more, and eventually some of them will win through and ruin it for everyone else.
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“Everyone’s a girl when they’re face down.” |
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Sat Nov 06, 2004 7:21 pm |
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