January 2, 2009

A classic American tradition: Lawsuits!

Worlds.com is in the process suing NCsoft for a patent that they hold regarding a, get this, "System and Method For Enabling Users to Interact in a Virtual Space", which is paten number 7,181,690 if you're interested.  Read a little more about it here.

I'm very disappointed by this predicament.  If you look at worlds.com's website, you see that they do not seem that impressive, or at least not as much as they were years ago.  They're a company that obviously past its prime.  I'm not surprised to see them going after NCsoft who's in charge of games like City of Heros and Guild Wars for an extra buck during desperate times.  Losers.

Second, how vague is that patent?  Think about it.  Could it get any broader?  It is detailed a little bit more in the actual patent, but with the right lawyer (we can't forget the undefeated Chewbacca Defense from the late Johnny Cochran now can we?) this patent could shut done roleplay chat rooms, let alone popular MMOs enjoyed by the public.  What the hell, worlds.com!  Dick move.  

The scary thing is that with this, worlds.com could sue any MMO it pleased.  And I do mean any.  This doesn't seem right at all.  If anyone speaks legalese well, is it still permissible to sue these companies if they developed the technology on their own without the help of worlds.com?  I hope not.  

That company better be careful if it threatens WoW.  It would be in for a riot, an old fashioned one like those in the Frankenstein movies.  That's right, we're talking about your grandmother's definition of disorderly conduct, with torches and pitchforks.

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