Worlds.com to Sue Blizzard, Linden Lab?

# Mar 14 2009 at 6:12 PM Rating: Decent

__DEL__1592296722691

2 posts

Still good for a chuckle:

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/29130

Go for it

# Mar 13 2009 at 5:28 AM Rating: Default

__DEL__1591939804190

Scholar

54 posts

Yeah you go, Worlds.com. you have about an ice cube's chance in hell. Unless Blizz and Linden used your code, I don't see how you can claim infringement just because they came up with their own method of "allowing users to interact in a virtual space".

Alexander Graham Bell also devised a method of allowing users to interact in a virtual space. It's called a telephone. Maybe The Bell Corporation should sue you!

Vague patent == nothing

# Mar 12 2009 at 11:46 PM Rating: Good

__DEL__1592762360733

Sage

1,677 posts

Yep, this is pretty obvious. They are hoping that their company name will get plastered all over the news as "the one company who threatens the future of WoW!". They hope that people seeing the news reports will say "Hey, what is worlds.com?" and go to the site to check it out. It is an attempt at guerrilla marketing, and a pretty smart one. They do happen to have a vague enough patent to perhaps get it into the court room, which is when the coverage will really start. However, it will be kicked out pretty quickly because, as mentioned several times already, it is very vague. The patent only reads that it covers a method of users interacting in virtual space with avatars who's orientation and actions are rendered to all other viewing clients. If it was not for MUDs coming nearly 20 years before worlds.com, this may have had a chance. However, most of their patent has been in use for well over a decade in MUDs (see their crude drawings in the patent filing). The only thing that is somewhat new is the 3D avatar usage, and even that comes close to Neverwinter Nights on AOL (minus the 3D).

To my understanding, patents have never done very well in software development. Patents have mostly had success in physical inventions. Software (again, to my understanding) mostly uses copyright laws, since patents on software tend to be very vague and abstract, which is exactly what a patent cannot be. The more vague the patent, the less likely it means anything at all.

If I tried to make a patent that covered "any kind of electronic LCD display device being added to any kind of box", it would be a miracle if it was even granted, much less that it could hold up for the exact same use that I used it for. Even so, it could never cover someone adding a thin LCD TV screen to a finished mahogany wood box when I used it to add a small, digital-watch-like expiration date timer on the side of kid's cereal boxes. Patent laws are designed to remove ambiguity so people do not try to vaguely patent every single thing under the sun in hopes of suing someone one day to get rich. They are just designed to protect someone's intellectual property rights, and no one's rights have been violated here.

Frivilous Lawsuit

# Mar 12 2009 at 6:18 PM Rating: Decent

__DEL__1618186621805

Scholar

76 posts

If Worlds.com wanted to make this a patent issue then they should have done so a long time ago. It's not like these MMO's came out just yesterday. Obviously they're just jealous that NCSoft, Blizz and every other company that they're targeting are far more successful than they've been. They want to get paid for someone else's success. That's really what all this is about. If this were really about their patent then they would have brought about this lawsuit as soon as these games came out. Not years after when these games became highly profitable.

Frivilous Lawsuit

# Mar 12 2009 at 7:20 PM Rating: Default

__DEL__1591928496432

153 posts

i bet it has something to do with them getting a new Board Members they appointed (http://worlds.com/news.html ; about #14 on the News links)

worlds.com

# Mar 12 2009 at 4:04 PM Rating: Decent

__DEL__1592760427535

8 posts

what a joke.
worlds.com is for exploreing the real world in a virtual environment whilst in the comfort of your own home.
the entertainment level of that makes me wonder how it's survived so long.

worlds.com can only very loosely and vaguely compare to any ncsoft game that is either running, has been running, or is intended to run in the future, and that's just because you are playing in a world with other players, hang on, that sounds like, lets see, every other mmo game out there, hell, maybe next they'll start on CoD, and battlefield, sims online, and every other game that has you in "a virtual world with other people online" as that is what this all comes down to.

idiots!

L O L

# Mar 12 2009 at 1:59 PM Rating: Default

__DEL__1591928496432

153 posts

This is funny; it's a Second Life *********** company trying to make a name for itself

Guess what?

# Mar 12 2009 at 1:20 PM Rating: Decent

__DEL__1591946349343

31 posts

If by some sort of deal with the devil type thing were to cause them to succeed, (spelling?) then they would get whatever it is they want then this would happen. Linden Labs and Blizzard fans and players would ban together, create a QQ missile, fill it up with cooked sewage, and cause a holocaust. THat is of course, if the devil says they can do it. But we all know the devil plays second life and WoW. Plus everquest and pac-man, so there is no way it will happen.

P.S. Yes, I know they don't own pac-man. but its still fun

failure

# Mar 12 2009 at 12:04 PM Rating: Good

__DEL__1592341145849

Sage

1,058 posts

This will not end well for worlds.com

Yea... Right.

# Mar 12 2009 at 9:59 AM Rating: Good

__DEL__1593370244013

Sage

340 posts

It's a frivolous lawsuit. This little company can't patent every possible way for interacting in a virtual space... that's like getting a patent for bread. Now if NCSoft and other MMO companies used the exact same method for interacting in a virtual space as Worlds.com... there would be something to work with. But that's probably highly unlikely. Chances are this little company put this lawsuit together in the hopes of getting some kind of settlement outside of court. Of course... I'm sure NCSoft and Blizzard won't settle. It'll take more than a vaguely worded patent and heavy-duty threats to force a settlement.

Worlds.com fails utterly

# Mar 12 2009 at 7:47 AM Rating: Good

__DEL__1591955360058

Scholar

253 posts

Hahahahahahaha, Blizzard's lawyers are gonna eat Worlds.com for breakfast.

agreed

# Mar 12 2009 at 7:12 AM Rating: Good

__DEL__1593366575816

1 post

My guess is it will fail. Microsoft is currently a target of one of these "Me Too!" lawsuits. Funny how the one's bringing the lawsuit are always some obscure little company on the brink of going under. Just because another company does what they do BETTER doesn't mean they deserve it. Besides a "system and method for enabling users to interact in a virtual space" was invented by Al Gore years a go. It's called the internet.....

agreed

# Mar 13 2009 at 7:24 AM Rating: Decent

__DEL__1630282810954

424 posts

Quote:

My guess is it will fail. Microsoft is currently a target of one of these "Me Too!" lawsuits. Funny how the one's bringing the lawsuit are always some obscure little company on the brink of going under. Just because another company does what they do BETTER doesn't mean they deserve it. Besides a "system and method for enabling users to interact in a virtual space" was invented by Al Gore years a go. It's called the internet.....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lmfao that's so right he invented that plus the 8th Harry Potter book.

stupid

# Mar 12 2009 at 6:34 AM Rating: Decent

__DEL__1604276369236

Sage

2,346 posts

Why are people still doing this. Well I know it's an actual company or whatever now but still. That seems like a pretty vague patent. I'm sure blizzard has some good lawyers to be able to interpret things differently and win the case, if it ever comes down to that.