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FEATURE: IP Basics & Publications
Still trying to wrap your head around intellectual property? The following video game IP resources are provided for your use. Please keep in mind that all articles and publications are for informational…
Publication: Top Ten Video Game Patents
TOP TEN VIDEO GAME PATENTSby Ross Dannenberg & Steve Chang When the editors at Gamasutra asked us to prepare a list of the top ten video game patents, we initially thought “Hey,…
News: Record sales of video games in 2006
Video-game sales a record $12.5B in ’06By BARBARA ORTUTAY, Associated Press, Business Writer, January 12, 2007 A strong December capped off a record year for the video game industry, with U.S. sales…
Case Update: Immersion v. Sony Oral Argument
The Federal Circuit heard oral arguments yesterday in the Immersion v. Sony appeal. As previously reported, the sole issue on appeal is Sony’s allegation of misconduct by Immersion. Sony’s arguments at the…
Case Update: Fenner v. Microsoft [P]
It appears that Sony’s game controller woes just continue to grow. Fenner Investments Ltd. has sued Microsoft (Xbox 360), Sony (PS2), and Nintendo (Gamecube) for allegedly infringing U.S. Patent No. 6,297,751, which…
Case: Planet Bingo v. Gametech Int’l [P]
Planet Bingo v. Gametech International __ F.3d __ (Fed. Cir. 2006) Planet Bingo is the exclusive licensee of both the ‘289 and ‘786 patents. The patents claim alternative methods of playing bingo…
News: Immserion v. Sony Appeal
Sorry we took a bit of a hiatus over the holidays. We’re back at work, which includes blogging… So for those following the Immersion v. Sony case regarding haptic (vibration) feedback patents…
PATENT (Application): Sony’s motion-sensing input device
As you may recall, Sony lost a lawsuit for millions of dollars to Immersion regarding Sony’s use of vibration technology in its PlayStation 2 controllers. Sony subsequently announced that the PlayStation 3…
U.S. Patent No. 6,669,564: Episodic Delivery of Content
U.S. Patent No. 6,669,564: Episodic Delivery of Content Issued December 30, 2003, to Electronic Arts, Inc. Summary: Electronic Arts has developed a way to negate the effects of technology advancing faster that…
U.S. Patent No. 6,805,632: Video Slot Gaming Machine
U.S. Patent No. 6,805,632: Video Slot Gaming Machine Issued October 19, 2004 to Konami Gaming, Inc. Summary: Here is a fine example of how a game company can similarly participate in the…
U.S. Patent No. 6,722,989: Virtual Pet Game in Which the Virtual Pet Can Converse with the Player and Learn New Words and Phrases from These Conversations
U.S. Patent No. 6,722,989: Virtual Pet Game in Which the Virtual Pet Can Converse with the Player and Learn New Words and Phrases from These Conversations Issued April 20, 2004, to Sony…
U.S. Patent No. 6,733,383: Systems and Methods for Simulating Game State Changes Responsive to an Interrupt Condition
U.S. Pat. No. 6,733,383: Systems and Methods for Simulating Game State Changes Responsive to an Interrupt Condition Issued May 11, 2004, to Electronic Arts, Inc. Summary: This Electronic Arts patent describes a…
News: Buy a PS3… help save humanity?
There have been quite a few distributed computing projects over the years. Sony’s plan is perhaps the most ambitious yet. The PS3 has a Cell Broadband Engine (CBE) chip, the same used…
U.S. Patent No. 6,764,402: Image-Display Game System And Information Storage Medium Used Therefor
U.S. Pat. No. 6,764,402: Image-Display Game System And Information Storage Medium Used Therefor Issued July 20, 2004 to Nintendo Co., Ltd. Summary: Nintendo describes the multi-player, portable version of its Pokemon…
News: WikiPatents.com Community Patent Review
As you may recall, we took quite a bit of flack from the software developer community on Slashdot for our previous article published by Gamasutra. Some of the comments had to deal…
News: Star Fox is back for the Nintendo DS!!!
For those who remember the original Star Fox (as mentioned in our previous post regarding the Star Fox patent), Nintendo has announced Star Fox Command for Nintendo DS. Read the full story…
U.S. Patent No. 6,261,179: Video Game System and Video Game Memory Medium
U.S. Patent No. 6,261,179: Video Game System and Video Game Memory Medium Issued Jul. 17, 2001, to Nintendo Co., Ltd., Kyoto (JP) Summary: Remember StarFox? I do (I’m getting old). The ‘179…
News: Fantasy Sports Under Attack AGAIN
Not even having time to revel in its recent victory in the C.B.C. Distribution and Marketing v. Major League Baseball Advanced Media lawsuit (No. 4:05-CV-00252 (E.D. Mo.)) regarding the use of player…
U.S. Patent. No. 6,752,718: Role Playing Video Game Using Cards
U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,718: Role Playing Video Game Using Cards Issued June 22, 2004, to Square Enix Summary: Developers from Square Enix, publishers of the Final Fantasy series, describe a role-playing game…
U.S. Patent No. 6,522,333: Remote Communication Through Visual Representations
U.S. Pat. No. 6,522,333: Remote Communication Through Visual Representations Issued February 18, 2003 to Electronic Arts Summary: Electronic Arts has improved the traditional in-game (or out-of-game) chat feature. Instead of informing your…