NY Firm Sues MMO Creators

September 23, 2009 -

PalTalk Holdings Inc. of Jericho, New York has filed a patent lawsuit against a slew of massively multiplayer online videogame makers.

Filed on September 14 of this year, the suit targets Sony Computer Entertainment America, Sony Online Entertainment, Sony Corporation of America, Sony Corporation, Activision Blizzard, Inc., NCSoft Corporation, Jagex Limited and Turbine, Inc.

PalTalk alleges that the defendants all use PalTalk technology in an unauthorized and infringing manner and says it has “suffered damages in at least the tens of million of dollars” at the hands of each defendant. The company is seeking a jury trial.

In 2002 PalTalk purchased patented technology from HearMe that allows "efficient handling of communications between players necessary to maintain a consistent game environment for all players,” covering a “number of aspects of online gaming, including communications through a group messaging server.”

The case was filed in Eastern District of Texas Marshall Division, a region, according to Boston.com, known for being “plaintiff-friendly.” The site also notes that a similar lawsuit by PalTalk against Microsoft in 2006, for use of its technology in the Halo series, resulted in the software giant eventually licensing PalTalk’s technology.

GP has the full 16-page complaint in PDF form for your perusal here.

Comments

Re: NY Firm Sues MMO Creators

Submitted by Unruly on Thu, 09/24/2009 - 07:52.

Sorry, patent invalidated by prior art - MUDs. Unless those patents were filed/pending before 1980, they shouldn't be able to hold any water. Any MUD is a system that provides "efficient handling of communications between players necessary to maintain a consistent game environment for all players” and includes "communications through a group messaging server.” So again, sorry, PalTalk, but that patent shouldn't have ever been issued in the first place.

Re: NY Firm Sues MMO Creators

Submitted by GrimCW on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 15:58.

doesn't that also mean that ALL games that have worked online suffer this same infringement?

i mean, i can recall all the way back to at least Quakeworld having Team chat.

and more modern games that are hosted company side have very similar chat functions and chat rooms.

these trolls are sickening.. how mind you has the company suffered "tens of millions" in damage for a device they never even provided or designed?

 

Re: NY Firm Sues MMO Creators

Submitted by Wormdundee on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 15:00.

There needs to be some serious patent reform to stop this bullshit. I thought patents had to be 'narrowly focused' but it seems like nowadays you can patent something like 'a system to facilitate transfer of video and audio data' can pass, meaning that whoever patents that can sue the crap out of anybody who has any sort of video chat software.

Lawsuits like this are such bullshit, and it just fills up the courts with crap.

Re: NY Firm Sues MMO Creators

Submitted by Unruly on Thu, 09/24/2009 - 07:59.

Welcome to a world where software and business method patents are allowed. And patent reform isn't going to happen any more than copyright reform will, since business method and software patents benefit a lot of the same people who have managed to distort copyright into its current form.

Re: NY Firm Sues MMO Creators

Submitted by Sporge on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 14:10.

You know what unless the patent is exactly what they use they deserve nothing.  Furthermore I really dislike the idea of seling patents, it just gives people the ability to take credit for something thye didn't do.


Re: NY Firm Sues MMO Creators

Submitted by DarkSaber on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 12:58.

I always wonder in a case like this whether the comapny suing actually BELIEVES their own bullshit.

--------------------------------------------------

I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.

-------------------------------------------------- I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.

Re: NY Firm Sues MMO Creators

Submitted by Stealthguy on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 12:44.

Suffering from a case of over-inflated egos.

Re: NY Firm Sues MMO Creators

Submitted by Adrian Lopez on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 12:07.

Software patents need to be abolished.

Re: NY Firm Sues MMO Creators

Submitted by Neeneko on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 13:45.

While I tend to argue on the side of the troll, I completely agree with this idea.  Software patents were  a bad idea and continue to cost the industry billions per year in wasted resources.

Re: NY Firm Sues MMO Creators

Submitted by hellfire7885 on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 16:14.

Because if two pieces of software are similar in ANY way whatsoever, we get this.

Re: NY Firm Sues MMO Creators

Submitted by VeteranFootman on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 11:49.

Oh hey look, another patent troll.

Re: NY Firm Sues MMO Creators

Submitted by killatia on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 11:01.

And here comes another patent troll. Who honestly hear about paltalk before this sad lawsuit?

http://www.magicinkgaming.com/

http://www.killatia.com/

Re: NY Firm Sues MMO Creators

Submitted by nightwng2000 on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 11:30.

I did.  A Long, Long Time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

It was crap.

Not only would I NOT have paid for it then OR now, if I were the type of person to pirate software, this wouldn't be on my list, let alone on the bottom of my list.

'Nuff said.

Nightwng2000

NW2K Software

http://www.facebook.com/nightwing2000

Nightwng2000 is now admin to the group "Parents For Education, Not Legislation" on MySpace as http://groups.myspace.com/pfenl

Nightwng2000 NW2K Software http://www.facebook.com/nightwing2000 Nightwng2000 is now admin to the group "Parents For Education, Not Legislation" on MySpace as http://groups.myspace.com/pfenl

Re: NY Firm Sues MMO Creators

Submitted by hellfire7885 on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 11:05.

Never.

Heh, maybe Skype should sue Blizzard because WoW has voice chat.

Re: NY Firm Sues MMO Creators

Submitted by hellfire7885 on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 11:00.

Ah hell, not another one.

"The technology is vaguely similar to something we thought up, therefore, we can sue"

Goddammit people are lawsuit happy.

Re: NY Firm Sues MMO Creators

Submitted by Hevach on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 13:06.

They didn't even think it up. They bought it. From somebody else who also didn't think it up.

 
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Technogeek: If the developer were male there wouldn't have been a "conversation" in the first place.10/19/2014 - 2:27am
Monte: trolls are just at their absolute worst when it comes to women and feminist. You could bet good money that if the developer were male the trolls would be silent and the conversation would actually focus on the journalism.10/18/2014 - 9:18pm
Monte: Papa: Not the first time we've had a journalism scandals before, but the harassment never got close to this level; the difference with this scandal is that feminists are involved. Without the feminist angle, their would be A LOT less harrassment10/18/2014 - 9:15pm
Papa Midnight: Monte: That's honestly rather short-sighted. As has been proven with other persons who have been targeted, if it wasn't Quinn, it would be someone else.10/18/2014 - 6:26pm
Avalongod: I think that's part of what gives an esoteric news story like this real life...it taps into a larger narrative about misogyny in society outside of games.10/18/2014 - 3:29pm
Avalongod: @Monte, well the trolls made death threats that came to police (and media attention). I think this is tapping into a larger issue outside of games about how women are treated in society (like all the "real rape" stuff during the last election)10/18/2014 - 3:28pm
Wonderkarp: Zippy : Havent tried the PS4 controller. might later.10/18/2014 - 2:37pm
Monte: Seirously, If Quinn was not involved and GG was instead about something like the Mordor Marketing contracts, the trolling would have never grown so vile and disgusting. There have been plenty of movements in the past that never sufferred from behavior..10/18/2014 - 1:57pm
Monte: We have seen scandel's before but the trolling has never been as vile as what we see with GG. Trolls usually have such a tiny voice you can barely notice them, but its like moths to a flame whenever femistist are involved.10/18/2014 - 1:53pm
ZippyDSMlee: Wonderkarp: You might be able to if you had a PS4 controller.10/18/2014 - 1:00pm
MaskedPixelante: http://store.steampowered.com/app/327940/ Night Dive starts charging for freeware.10/18/2014 - 12:21pm
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MechaTama31: So, only speak out on a scandal that hasn't attracted trolls? I wouldn't hold my breath...10/18/2014 - 10:49am
Monte: I feel like GG just needs to die. The movement is FAR to tainted by hatred and BS for it to be useful for any conversation. Let GG die, and then rally behind the NEXT gaming journalism scandal, and start the conversation fresh.10/18/2014 - 10:33am
quiknkold: and we dont have a Dovakin to call a cease fire10/17/2014 - 7:37pm
quiknkold: The whole thing is Futile. Both sides are so buried deep in their trenchs that there isnt a conversation. Its just Finger Pointing, Name Calling, Doxxing, Threats. there needs to be a serious conversation, and GG isnt it.10/17/2014 - 7:37pm
quiknkold: I thought it was a good article. Jeff is right. I feel like GamerGate did destroy its message. I am for Ethics in game journalism, but man. so much hate. and its on both sides. I've seen some awful stuff spewed on twitter. Its a big reason why I exited..10/17/2014 - 7:34pm
Matthew Wilson: while he focused on gg, he did call out both sides crap.10/17/2014 - 7:18pm
Papa Midnight: That was a damn good read offered by Jeff Gertsmann.10/17/2014 - 7:17pm
Matthew Wilson: http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/letter-from-the-editor-10-17-2014/1100-5049/ deferentially a nice write up.10/17/2014 - 6:44pm
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