Posts
U.S. Patent No. 6,973,430: Method for outputting voice of object and device used therefor
U.S. Patent No. 6,973,430: Method for outputting voice of object and device used therefor Issued December 6, 2005, to Sony Summary: The ‘430 creates a voice-activated system allowing the player to…
U.S. Patent No. 7,503,006: Visual indication of current voice speaker
U.S. Patent No. 7,503,006: Visual indication of current voice speaker Issued March 10, 2009, to Microsoft Summary: The ‘006 patent provides a method for visually indicating a voice speaker during an…
U.S. Patent No. 7,497,779: Video game including time dilation effect and a storage medium storing software for the video game
U.S. Patent No. 7,497,779: Video game including time dilation effect and a storage medium storing software for the video game Issued March 3, 2009, to Nintendo Summary: The ‘779 patent describes…
Nintendo Wii Balance Board suit dismissed
Ithaca Ventures k.s. et al. v. Nintendo of America Inc. et al. United States District Court, Western District of Washington 2:14-cv-01512 Filed May 9, 2013 Terminated May 18, 2015 On May 18,…
USPTO IPR on “Rock Band” Decided:
On May 6, 2015, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board found four claims of U.S. Patent No. 5,513,129 invalid. The patent, owned by Princeton Digital Image Corp., is directed to controlling virtual…
A little Kickstarter love… BEARD (the game)
I sometimes meet with indie/startup game developers and provide guidance and advice based on my own experiences in the industry and having worked with lots of young companies. I recently met two…
U.S. Patent No. 7,027,034: Method of moving objects on TV monitor, the computer and recording medium for executing the method
U.S. Patent No. 7,027,034: Method of moving objects on TV monitor, the computer and recording medium for executing the method Issued April 11, 2006, to Sony Summary: The ‘034 patent describes…
U.S. Patent No. 6,992,654: System and method for providing user input to character animation
U.S. Pat. No. 6,992,654: System and method for providing user input to character animation Issued January 31, 2006, to Electronic Arts Inc. Summary: This EA patent involves systems and methods for…
Patent Lawsuits Decline – Patent Lawsuits to Become Harder to File
For the first time since 2009, new patent lawsuit filings declined in 2014 from the previous year. Lawsuits dropped by 13 percent, a significant shift from the numbers of cases over the…
U.S. Patent No. 6,923,722: Game system and game program for providing multi-player gameplay on individual displays and a common display
U.S. Patent No. 6,923,722: Game system and game program for providing multi-player gameplay on individual displays and a common display Issued August 2, 2005, to Nintendo Co., Ltd. Summary: The ‘722…
Appeal decided in Garcia v. Google: NO Copyright Protection for Individual Actors in a Motion Picture
In a second major case decided today, the 9th Circuit held that there is no independent copyright held by a performer in a motion picture (film, TV, etc.) work. As reported by…
Apple v. Samsung appeal decided: design patents good, trade dress bad.
May 18, 2015: Today the Federal Circuit decided the appeal in the first Apple v. Samsung case, upholding a majority of Apple’s damages award, namely, damages attributable to patent infringement. However, the…
U.S. Patent No. 6,955,605: Episodic delivery of content
U.S. Patent No. 6,955,605: Episodic delivery of content Issued October 18, 2005, to Electronic Arts Inc. Summary: The ‘605 patent describes a method of episodically delivering entertainment content for a reality-based…
What NOT to name your product…
We get asked… often… what sorts of names are best for your video game. This post isn’t a treatise on how to name your video game. This post is a poster child…
U.S. Patent No. 6,843,726: Game system
U.S. Patent No. 6,843,726: Game system Issued Jan. 18, 2005, to Konami Summary: The ‘726 patent describes a game system in which a player uses a voice input device (ex. a…
U.S. Copyright Office Fair Use Index
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked by a client or potential client whether they can include Element X from someone else’s game in their own game. It’s a…
U.S. Patent No. 6,935,959: Use of multiple player real-time voice communications on a gaming device
U.S. Patent No. 6,935,959: Use of multiple player real-time voice communications on a gaming device Issued on Aug. 30, 2005, to Microsoft Summary: The ‘959 patent describes a game console capable…
Google announces patent purchase program during May 2015
Today Google announced a new initiative to try and keep patents out of the hands of patent trolls, entities whose only business is amassing intellectual property and filing lawsuits. Google is calling…
U.S. Patent No. 6,918,769: Video game for assisting healing of the human body
U.S. Patent No. 6,918,769: Video game for assisting healing of the human body Issued July 19, 2005 Summary: The ‘769 patent seeks to help assist healing of the human body after…
U.S. Patent No. 6,905,414: Banning verbal communication to and from a selected party in a game playing system
U.S. Patent No. 6,905,414: Banning verbal communication to and from a selected party in a game playing system Issued June 14, 2005, to Microsoft Summary: The ‘414 patent should appeal to…