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The world just became a little bit more ridiculous today

Posted: 2004-11-02 08:25pm
by Shinova

Posted: 2004-11-02 10:12pm
by Damaramu
:roll: That's just fucking rediculous. I wish those fuckers luck with their lawsuits..... :wink:

Posted: 2004-11-03 12:35am
by Tech^salvager
hmm Different but the patent is a bit vague on the subject. Though I do think they brought this up because of money, but they do own a pantent on it.

Posted: 2004-11-03 12:52am
by Praxis
Tech^salvager wrote:hmm Different but the patent is a bit vague on the subject. Though I do think they brought this up because of money, but they do own a pantent on it.
That's right, they own an ancient patent on a SPHERE. Ridiculous...

Furthermore, the description in the patent describes the way every 3d modelling program handles 3d objects. It's IMPOSSIBLE to make a 3d game without using these methods.

Posted: 2004-11-03 01:23am
by Sarevok
It would be interesting to see what happens.

Posted: 2004-11-03 01:41am
by Shinova
They're only targeting game distributors cause those are easy targets.

If they tried to take on the likes of SGI, Adobe, and Avid, hahaha.

Posted: 2004-11-03 02:52am
by Praxis
Shinova wrote:They're only targeting game distributors cause those are easy targets.

If they tried to take on the likes of SGI, Adobe, and Avid, hahaha.
If they beat the gaming companies, that's exactly what they'd do. If they win against a company for selling games created with those methods, then the next thing they'd do is target the big companies that sell the programs that create them in the first place (3ds Max, Lightwave, Maya, Strata, etc, all very expensive).

Posted: 2004-11-03 12:53pm
by Dooey Jo
:wtf: Huh? Wtf? Seriously, WTF?! How the fuck could he get a patent for that? The asshole must have done that just to wait until enough companies where using 3D and then just file massive amounts of lawsuits against them! :x

What will happen if he win? Will he get a percentage of the sales of every single 3D application in the world?! Will he get exclusice rights to everything 3D on computers? Yes, that's probably it! I can see it; 3D gaming banned because of an ancient patent...

Well, I guess that's what you get from software patents... :roll: (not that this is any actual software, it's just a fricking simple algorithm)

Posted: 2004-11-03 03:52pm
by Vendetta
Shinova wrote:They're only targeting game distributors cause those are easy targets.

If they tried to take on the likes of SGI, Adobe, and Avid, hahaha.
You think EA is an easy target? EA takes in nearly three times as much revenue as SGI, Adobe and Avid put together, they can let the case drag on until the people bringing it have bled their pockets dry.

Besides, the case may last as long as someone setting up an Apple II in the courtroom and firing up Elite. What? Prior art? Where?

Posted: 2004-11-03 04:53pm
by Admiral Valdemar
Vendetta wrote:
You think EA is an easy target? EA takes in nearly three times as much revenue as SGI, Adobe and Avid put together, they can let the case drag on until the people bringing it have bled their pockets dry.

Besides, the case may last as long as someone setting up an Apple II in the courtroom and firing up Elite. What? Prior art? Where?
As if they're going to let commonsense get in the way of making a quick buck.

Posted: 2004-11-03 06:18pm
by Praxis
Vendetta wrote:
Shinova wrote:They're only targeting game distributors cause those are easy targets.

If they tried to take on the likes of SGI, Adobe, and Avid, hahaha.
You think EA is an easy target? EA takes in nearly three times as much revenue as SGI, Adobe and Avid put together, they can let the case drag on until the people bringing it have bled their pockets dry.

Besides, the case may last as long as someone setting up an Apple II in the courtroom and firing up Elite. What? Prior art? Where?
Good point. Even the old Apple Scotty used in Star Trek 4 used similar principles I believe.

Posted: 2004-11-03 06:30pm
by Alyeska
This patent makes just as much sense as patenting bianary. I think the court might just revoke the patent outright.

Besides, I thought there was a shelflife on patents, 8 years or so I heard.

Posted: 2004-11-03 07:14pm
by darthdavid
That's only slightly less stupid than trying to patent the wheel and sue car companies...

Posted: 2004-11-03 07:16pm
by Vendetta
Alyeska wrote:Besides, I thought there was a shelflife on patents, 8 years or so I heard.
20 years.

Posted: 2004-11-03 07:53pm
by Admiral Valdemar
darthdavid wrote:That's only slightly less stupid than trying to patent the wheel and sue car companies...
Remember the April Fools where Microsoft wanted to patent "1" and "0"?

Posted: 2004-11-03 10:03pm
by Vertigo1
Vendetta wrote:
Alyeska wrote:Besides, I thought there was a shelflife on patents, 8 years or so I heard.
20 years.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but can't you get extentions for them?

Posted: 2004-11-03 10:13pm
by Admiral Valdemar
Vertigo1 wrote: Correct me if I'm wrong, but can't you get extentions for them?
That depends on the premise. Disney for instance has boosted their Mickey Mouse copyright to 80 years (the original length of time is 50 in the UK and US after the owner's death, IIRC). Once something goes public domain, anyone can do what they want with it and that scares Diznee so imagine how certain software companies are reacting.

Posted: 2004-11-04 06:08am
by Vympel
This'll be thrown out.

Posted: 2004-11-04 11:47am
by Drooling Iguana
Admiral Valdemar wrote:
Vertigo1 wrote: Correct me if I'm wrong, but can't you get extentions for them?
That depends on the premise. Disney for instance has boosted their Mickey Mouse copyright to 80 years (the original length of time is 50 in the UK and US after the owner's death, IIRC). Once something goes public domain, anyone can do what they want with it and that scares Diznee so imagine how certain software companies are reacting.
Patents and copyrights are not the same thing, at all.