ATARI LAWSUIT: Company claims WORLDWIDE patent of in-game camera POV

[mummey]

guess my work will include conical camera movement now...

I can understand Atari settling though. 300k is cheap for them compared to the cost of fighting the patent on prior art.

Also, since it was 1987, at least its almost run out.

[JeroenDStout]

Which really brings me to the opinion that the patent duration for software is, in software lengths, twice the current age of the universe. And up to certain levels I even think copyrighting algorithms is odd; I have a problem with the race of 'who comes to that point in technology first' rather as the untied 'who thinks of something new'. It's more of a lottery than protecting your invention; you didn't invent it as much as got there first.

[Tlock]

To The Parrot, the US Patent office doesn't accept simple algorithms as valid patents. It will only accept algorithms if they can lagitmately prove that they show a new process/procedure of doing something so that the math is not patented but rather the process. That is why compression algorithms are accepted but for ex. addition can't be patented. There is actually a good site i read once that explained the whole thing in detail.

[Cronholio]

I think that this is a lawsuit that was filed by the old Atari when it was in it's deathrows before Midway and Infogrames chopped it up and bought it out. Atari had something like 160 far reaching patents on technology that is pretty ubiquitous in today's games. They could have sued pretty much every game maker right out of business if they wanted to, but they didn't start to excercise their patent ownership until they were completely strapped for cash.

[mummey]

I think that this is a lawsuit that was filed by the old Atari when it was in it's deathrows before Midway and Infogrames chopped it up and bought it out. Atari had something like 160 far reaching patents on technology that is pretty ubiquitous in today's games. They could have sued pretty much every game maker right out of business if they wanted to, but they didn't start to excercise their patent ownership until they were completely strapped for cash.

You mis-read, Atari was the one being sued.

[BlueTide]

To The Parrot, the US Patent office doesn't accept simple algorithms as valid patents. It will only accept algorithms if they can lagitmately prove that they show a new process/procedure of doing something so that the math is not patented but rather the process. That is why compression algorithms are accepted but for ex. addition can't be patented. There is actually a good site i read once that explained the whole thing in detail.

Patents are weird stuff... I've written some ~5 applications during the last 6 months and you can't belive what things go through or don't. Just remarkable. Surely looses your faith in patents really quick. There was quite some truth in "The Parrots" words, imho.

[Beamtracer]

Software patents are ridiculous.

Look at this. Some guy files a patent in 1987, basically patenting 3D viewports. He does nothing with it. He develops no device with it. Instead, he sits on the patent for 19 years, and then starts suing games companies.

It reminds me of the crazy Blackberry lawsuit (http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1931062,00.asp) being pursued by a patent holding company that never intended to develop the technology.

And besides, didn't others have 3D viewports in 1987?

Software patents are not encouraging R&D, and are not good for the public.

[hundredthirtyseven]

You can't do this in the EU.

[ZebulonPi]

Doesn't Pixar hold the patent for the Z-Buffer? Imagine what they could do with THAT bad boy...

I think I'd just like to toddle down and patent the use of the Z axis, so anyone using 3D at all will have to pay me. That sounds good...

[BillB]

F/A18 Interceptor and Elite where released in1988 - wonder when development started on them?? Anyone got a prior? Sculpt3D was released in '86, can't remember the interface.
Hard to believe there wasn't a really easy prior-art shootdown for this.

[Per-Anders]

Actually Elite was released in 1984, and they started coding it in 1982 whilst they were still at cambridge university (David Braben & Ian Bell). My personal oppinion on such things is that such patent squaters should be fined for wasting patent office time and sued for attempted fraud.

[thethule]

Actually Elite was released in 1984, and they started coding it in 1982 whilst they were still at cambridge university (David Braben & Ian Bell). My personal oppinion on such things is that such patent squaters should be fined for wasting patent office time and sued for attempted fraud.

Couldn't agree with you more Per. It really pisses me off when people pull this kind of crap. After a quick buck, just like everyone else i guess.:shrug:

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