Kirk Sigmon
Federal Circuit Finds Niantic AR-related Patent Claims Ineligible
On April 23, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a District Court ruling that patent claims directed to augmented reality (“AR”) location services were not subject-matter eligible under…
Corsair Receives Japanese Utility Model for “Sensing” Mouse Wheel
Corsair recently was awarded Japanese Utility Model No. 3,251,063, which describes a “sensing roller device” for a mouse that can provide a “virtual bodily sensation" (that is, it seems, tactile feedback like…
Colopl receives Japanese patent on replaying location-based events
Japanese game developer Colopl Inc. has received a Japanese patent, Japanese Pat. No. 7,671,912, directed to a “replay control means” that can “revive” an event for a specific location.
Modulate, Inc. receives patent on machine learning-based toxic speech moderation system
Modulate Inc., a company using voice technology to “proactively detect[] key behaviors” to keep communities safer and “manage risk,” has been awarded U.S. Pat. No. 11,996,117, which relates to speech moderation using…
Palmer Luckey’s User-Killing VR Headset: Creepy, but Eligible to be Filed as a Patent Application
Famous VR developer Palmer Luckey recently developed a virtual reality headset rigged with bombs such that, if you lose the game, the headset explodes and kills the user. Per Luckey’s blog: The…
PTAB Institutes Inter Partes Review of Group Messaging Patent
On May 15, 2018, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (the “PTAB”) instituted two Inter Partes Review (“IPR”) proceedings against U.S. 5,822,523 (the “’523 Patent”). The ’523 Patent generally relates to group…
Sony files IPR Petition against 3D Stereoscopy Patent
On May 15, 2018, Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (“Sony”) filed a petition for Inter Partes review (“IPR”) of U.S. Patent No. 7,666,096 (the “’096 Patent”). The owner of the ’096 Patent is…
Epic Games Argues Teenaged Fortnite Hacker should Face Suit
On April 23, 2018, Epic Games, Inc. (“Epic”) filed a response to a Motion to Dismiss filed by Lauren Rogers, the mother of a teenaged Fortnite hacker (“C. R.”) facing a copyright…
WWE Star Randy Orton’s Tattoo Artist Sues WWE, Take Two, 2K over In-Game Tattoos
On April 17, 2018, Catherine Alexander, a tattoo artist from Illinois, sued Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., 2K Games, Inc., 2K Sports, Inc., World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (the “WWE”), Visual Concepts Entertainment, Yuke’s…
Infernal Technology and Terminal Reality sue Microsoft over Lighting and Shadowing Patents
On April 11, 2018, Infernal Technology, LLC and Terminal Reality, Inc. (“Infernal”) filed a complaint for patent infringement against Microsoft Corporation (“Microsoft”). The asserted patents, U.S. 6,362,822 and U.S. 7,061,488, relate to…
Microsoft, Ubisoft, Nintendo, EA, Harmonix, and Majesco win challenge of motion control patent
On April 9, 2018, the Federal Circuit ruled in favor of defendants Microsoft Corporation, Ubisoft, Inc., Nintendo of America, Inc., Electronic Arts Inc., Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., and Majesco Entertainment in a…
Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds Creator sues over alleged Chinese knockoffs
On April 2, 2018, PUBG Corporation and PUBG Santa Monica, Inc. (“PUBG”) sued NetEase, Inc. and NetEase Information Technology Corp. (“NetEase”) over alleged copyright infringement, trade dress infringement, and unfair competition. The complaint…
Universal Entertainment sues Aruze Gaming and Kazuo Okada over Slot Machine Patents
On March 30, 2018, Universal Entertainment Corporation (“Universal”) sued Aruze Gaming America, Inc. (“AGA”) and Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada (“Okada”). The asserted patents generally relate to slot machines. The accused products include…
Lindsay Lohan Loses Suit Regarding Grand Theft Auto V
On March 29, 2018, the New York State Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court of appeal, rejected actress Lindsay Lohan’s contention that the character “Lacey Jonas” from Grand Theft Auto V…
Nintendo sued by Hybrid Audio regarding MP3 Standards Patent
On March 27, 2018, Hybrid Audio, LLC (“Hybrid Audio”) sued Nintendo of America Inc. and Nintendo Co., Ltd. (“Nintendo”) for alleged infringement of RE 40,281, a reissue of U.S. 6,252,909. The allegedly…
Epic Sues Yet Another Fortnite Cheat Distributor
On Mar. 9, 2018, Epic Games, Inc. (“Epic”) sued Joseph Sperry (a/k/a “Spoezy”), yet another alleged distributor of cheats for the popular online game Fortnite. Similar to previous cases (discussed here, here, here,…
FaZe Clan Sued for Trademark Infringement and Unfair Competition
On January 29, 2018, FaZe Clan, Inc. (“FaZe Clan”) , an online gaming team, was sued by FAZE Apparel, LLC (“FAZE Apparel”) for trademark infringement, false designation of origin, and unfair competition. …
Lucasfilm’s suit over “Sabacc” Mobile Game Disputes Protection of “Fictional Goods”
Plaintiffs Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC and Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. LLC (“Lucasfilm”) have challenged attempts by defendant Ren Ventures Ltd. and Sabacc Creative Industries Ltd. (“Ren”) to dismiss a lawsuit by Lucasfilm alleging…
Four Konami Slot Machine Patents Held Invalid
Konami, no stranger to invalidity challenges against their video gaming patents, recently had four more patents directed to slot machines struck down as directed to abstract ideas. On Feb. 21, 2018, the…
Electronic Arts and Ubisoft Sued for Infringement of Database Differences Patent
On Feb. 8, 2018, Pure Data Systems, LLC (“Pure”) sued Electronic Arts, Inc. (“EA”) and Ubisoft, Inc. (“Ubisoft”) for alleged infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 5,999,947 to Zollinger et al. and 6,321,236…