The US patent infringement suit brought by virtual world platform Worlds.com against MMO ("massive multiplayer online") publisher NCSoft has attracted some opprobrium, as bit-tech.net reports. The action alleges infringement of a patent filed back in 2000 for an invention reportedly described, somewhat vaguely as a "system and method for enabling users to interact in a virtual space". The objection is that the wording of the patent is such that it could pretty well apply to any MMO or online world in existence. NCSoft plans to fight. In the meantime, sympathisers might draw some comfort from this comic strip on penny-arcade, kindly sent in by Kristof Neefs.
Monday 19 January 2009
Nowhere to escape from virtual world patent?
The US patent infringement suit brought by virtual world platform Worlds.com against MMO ("massive multiplayer online") publisher NCSoft has attracted some opprobrium, as bit-tech.net reports. The action alleges infringement of a patent filed back in 2000 for an invention reportedly described, somewhat vaguely as a "system and method for enabling users to interact in a virtual space". The objection is that the wording of the patent is such that it could pretty well apply to any MMO or online world in existence. NCSoft plans to fight. In the meantime, sympathisers might draw some comfort from this comic strip on penny-arcade, kindly sent in by Kristof Neefs.
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