Posts
Case: CBC v. Major League Baseball
C.B.C. Distribution and Marketing, Inc. v. Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P., et al. — F.3d —, 2007 WL 2990366, 84 U.S.P.Q.2d 1328 (8th Cir. 2007) In a much watched case, on…
Case: MicroUnity v. SCEA Settles
Word on the street is that MicroUnity and Sony Computer Entertainment America have settled their ongoing patent dispute regarding Sony’s PlayStation products. The two companies have asked for a 30-day stay of…
News: Second Life IP theft lawsuit
More Second Life news: As reported in the New York Post, a half-dozen entrepreneurs are suing a Queens man, charging him with counterfeiting and selling versions of their products. Here’s the catch:…
News: Change in Second Life ownership policy???
As originally reported on Terra Nova, Linden Labs appears to have made a potentially significant change to the wording on its home page. The home page used to read:“Second Life is a…
News: Potential DMCA fair use relief on the way?
As reported on GamePolitics.com, Later today the ECA will announce its support for HR1201, known as the Fair Use Act of 2007. The proposed legislation will give consumers limited rights to circumvent…
Michigan Law School – First Impressions’ Symposium
Well it’s not strictly video game IP law, but it certainly applies to video games and explores, in view of KSR, how easy it may or may not be to obtain patent…
News: Microsoft spins off Bungie Studios
Well its old news by now, but in case you haven’t heard, Microsoft and Bungie announced on Friday that Bungie has split off from Microsoft, becoming an independent entity. Bungie will still…
Second Life ToS: Leave your patents at home
Ok, I’ve spent the better part of two evenings finishing the campaign mode in Halo 3, so it’s about time to come out of my self-induced Halo 3 fog. A colleague of…
Day of rest in honor of Halo 3
Hey everyone, I was on vacation last week, so there were no new posts last week. As for this week, in honor of Halo 3, there will be no post this week…
Case: Frosty Treats v. Sony [T]
Frosty Treats Inc. v. Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. 426 F.3d 1001 (8th Cir. 2005) I scream, You scream, We all scream for Ice Cream! Sony was sued over its use of…
U.S. Patent No. 5,482,289: Method of Playing a BINGO Game with Progressive Jackpot
United States Patent No. 5,482,289 Method of Playing a BINGO Game with Progressive Jackpot Issued on January 9, 1996 to Gary Weingardt and assigned to Gary Weingardt Trust. Summary: In case you…
Case Update: MDY Industries, LLC v. Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. et al
MDY Industries, LLC v. Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. et al.United States District Court, District of ArizonaCase No. 2:2006cv02555, Filed October 25, 2006 On October 25, 2006, MDY Industries, LLC (“MDY”) filed a declaratory…
U.S. Patent No. 6,992,654: System and Method for Providing User Input to Character Animation
U.S. Patent No. 6,992,654: System and Method for Providing User Input to Character Animation Issued on January 31, 2006, to Electronic Arts Inc. Summary: This patent issued to EA, discloses a system…
U.S. Patent. No. 5,727,786: Bingo Game Method
United States Patent No. 5,727,786 Bingo Game Method Issued on December 8, 1995 to Inventor Gary Weingardt Summary: This invention attempts to reinvigorate the classic game of Bingo and lure the gamblers…
News: new Donkey Kong world record
I have a client that I am helping to get into the Guinness Book of World Records. For what? Well that has to wait until the record is published, but suffice it…
News: man gets two years in jail for video game crime.
An Illinois man was sentenced to two years in prison for violating copyright law through the unauthorized sale of video games on his Web site, the U.S. Department of Justice announced late…
News: quoted in USA Today re Facebook lawsuit
Well its not a video game lawsuit, but interesting nonetheless. And, yes, this post could be considered shameless self-promotion. Nonetheless, I was recently quoted in USA Today in an article regarding the…
U.S. Patent No. 6,729,954: Battle Method with Attack Power Based on Character Group Density
United States Patent No. 6,729,954 Battle Method with Attack Power Based on Character Group Density Issued May 4, 2004, assigned to Koei Co., Ltd. Summary: Although the Sam Fishers, John Matrixs, Solid…
Is artistic style a new type of Video Game IP?
Courts have held that artists’ copyright protection can extend beyond their literal pictorial works, and some courts have even insinuated that an artist can receive copyright expression for their artistic style, e.g.,…
Case Update: Konami v. Roxor (E.D.Tex, SETTLED 2007)
Konami v. Roxor (E.D.Tex 2007 – SETTLED) We previously reported that Konami Corporation sued Roxor Games, Inc. in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, alleging patent infringement, trademark…