Curse

Charrbane · Dec 31, 2008, 02:24 AM // 02:24

Somebody hire the Bush shoe throwing guy to target Worlds.com.

Divinity Sword · Dec 31, 2008, 02:33 AM // 02:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charrbane

Somebody hire the Bush shoe throwing guy to target Worlds.com.

LOL ^That

Anyway ROFLMAO @ Worlds.

Anet will use their superior kiting skillz to dodge the patent of doom!

Scythe O F Glory · Dec 31, 2008, 02:38 AM // 02:38

Just perfect, no GW2.

Wish Swiftdeath · Dec 31, 2008, 02:48 AM // 02:48

http://wenderella.com/2008/05/most-r...one-right-now/

http://www.invention-protection.com/...g_patents.html

God Bless America!

Lycan Nibbler · Dec 31, 2008, 03:24 AM // 03:24

I just thought Id let you know that my patent on forums has just been allowed, I therefore own all of you and you must immediately pay me damages in the form of Z Keys in game.....

Lycan Nibbler · Dec 31, 2008, 03:26 AM // 03:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charrbane

Somebody hire the Bush shoe throwing guy to target Worlds.com.

Someone with a better/faster arm please

I suggest Randy Johnson (did you ever see that bird he hit in pre season training?).

Actually.. thinking about this.. does this mean that all the servers are about to become Euro servers now as Anet removes itself from America and its poor patenting rules??

Chthon · Dec 31, 2008, 03:43 AM // 03:43

1. Worlds.com isn't after a quick precedent to use to go after Blizzard later. There's nothing quick about patent fights. They're hoping for a quick and easy settlement for a percentage of NCSoft's profits. If successful, they'll go after as many other "little fish" as they can.

2. Let's be a little more clear on what exactly they patented. They patented a solution to the scalability problem of virtual worlds -- how can you have an arbitrarily large number of people in a virtual world if you need to make a near-instantaneous transfer and display of information about each person to each other person? Their solution is prune the set of other people each user receives and displays detailed information on down to only those within the user's (3D) field of vision.

2a. As many other folks have noted, this feels like something that we've seen in other games for a long time -- that is something that was not novel when the patent was issued. However, I'm hard pressed to think of a game that I know for certain works like this, and I know for certain pre-dates their patent. However, some of the commenters on slashdot assert that they personally worked on projects using this methodology. Also, even if I can't name one of the top of my head, I'd bet that somewhere out there there's a commercial game using this methodology that predates the patent.

2b. I think a bigger hurdle for Worlds.com may be the obviousness of their "invention." Even if no particular game used this methodology first, it seems like a pretty obvious trick that any programmer would use to solve the same problem. Hindsight may be 20/20, but I'm pretty sure my younger self would have solved the problem the exact same way they did, as would any other programmer living at the time.

2c. I also wonder if NCSoft is actually in violation this patent (presuming for a minute its validity). AFAIK, GW does not prune the set of avatars you encounter. Rather, it divides us up into a plethora of servers and instances so that "all the other players" is never too many to handle. I've never played Lineage, so maybe someone who has should comment there.

Sniper22 · Dec 31, 2008, 03:54 AM // 03:54

Lol so the patent is on a method of controlling large server populations? That is so pathetic. How can you even put a patent on something like that? I think I am going to patent all of my GW builds. Anyone seen using them will get sued for a bunch of money by me.

Fail.

pumpkin pie · Dec 31, 2008, 05:07 AM // 05:07

they were not always call worlds.com either, they change from World Chat. shame on you, Guild Wars isn't a chat program its a game !

dartz180 · Dec 31, 2008, 05:56 AM // 05:56

gg.

Clarissa F · Dec 31, 2008, 05:57 AM // 05:57

The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers --Dick the Butcher, Henry VI

What do you call 3500 lawyers at the bottom of the sea?

A good start.

You're trapped in a room with a tiger, a rattlesnake and a lawyer. Your gun has only two bullets. What should you do?

Shoot the lawyer. Twice.

Operative 14 · Dec 31, 2008, 06:21 AM // 06:21

Here's a question that I have (and let's hope no one from worlds.com is reading this >_>)

Why are they going after NCsoft? As far as I know they have not implemented anything like the offending patent. The developers, like Cryptic or Arenanet, are the ones that made the chat system and scalable worlds that are used in the games that NCsoft just publishes.

Avarre · Dec 31, 2008, 06:50 AM // 06:50

I fully expect NCSoft to drag out the issue until Worlds.com has no more money, and then trample them in court.

Make it happen!

The Lost Explorer · Dec 31, 2008, 07:51 AM // 07:51

i agree with Avarre, we should counter sue and get some cash for our GW2 :P

cthulhu reborn · Dec 31, 2008, 03:30 PM // 15:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Operative 14

Here's a question that I have (and let's hope no one from worlds.com is reading this >_>)

Why are they going after NCsoft? As far as I know they have not implemented anything like the offending patent. The developers, like Cryptic or Arenanet, are the ones that made the chat system and scalable worlds that are used in the games that NCsoft just publishes.

I would suspect that the reason for targeting NcSoft is, that they are a company from outside the US with a base inside the US. Or in other words they went for the easiest target from a legal point of view.
If they had targeted a company that has it's head office in the US itself, I think considering the current crisis, they would have two strikes against them for being unamerican or something.

They probably figured that if they went for a Korean target there would be less sympathy for that company and the fact that they have an office in the US makes them a legal target.
Still, I believe the patent is a US patent and not worldwide and that may be worth noting as well.

Bug John · Dec 31, 2008, 03:43 PM // 15:43

I'm not that surprised... Even human genes have been patented since early 80's, human greed shows no limit.

AJD · Dec 31, 2008, 03:54 PM // 15:54

Like Bug John here, I am not surprised at all. People should look up medical patents for sheer greed and ridiculousness.

The Meth · Dec 31, 2008, 04:33 PM // 16:33

This reminds me of a funny story, Halliburton tried to patent patent trolling just a while back. Worlds.com is obviously infringing on their original idea and should be sued.

EinherjarMx · Dec 31, 2008, 04:52 PM // 16:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by own age myname

World.com won't get anywhere. C'mon I bet even Blizzard, Microsoft ect will back NCSoft up. They may be competitors, but if NCSoft is actually beaten World.com will go up to the bigshots.

Oh well, I don't expect much...

this

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avarre

I fully expect NCSoft to drag out the issue until Worlds.com has no more money, and then trample them in court.

Make it happen!

this too, it would be a nice "get to fscking work! and improve your damn sucky graphics"

The Meth · Dec 31, 2008, 05:13 PM // 17:13

Unfortunately, as mentioned, they are a foreign company being sued in Texas. With the economy, and depending on exactly where in Texas it is (there are some specificly BAD places to be sued over a patent), NCsoft is effectively guilty until prove innocent. The evidence to support them though should be enough to stop them from losing, but getting worlds.com to pay all of their lawyer's fees is a lot different (remember, foreign company, bad economy, and in Texas). NCsoft is the one who wants to get this through quickly, either by settlement or a quick and clean court visit. Worlds.com is who wants to drag it out, the longer they can convince NCsoft it will take (thereby making a court visit cost far more) the greater the chance NCsoft will just settle for a small sum of money. Worlds.com is probably hoping they can just get a small settlement out of this which would cost NCsoft much less then going to court and bitch slapping them.