Major MMO Publishers Sued For Patent Infringement

GameboyRMH writes "The Boston Globe reports that major MMO publishers (Blizzard, Turbine, SOE, NCSoft, and Jagex) are being sued by Paltalk, which holds a patent on 'sharing data among many connected computers so that all users see the same digital environment' — a patent that would seem to apply to any multiplayer game played between multiple systems, at the very least. Paltalk has already received an out-of-court settlement from Microsoft earlier this year in relation to a lawsuit over the Halo games. If Microsoft can't fend off Paltalk's legal attacks, the odds don't look good for their latest group of targets."

Re:My first thought

[negRo_slim]

I'm tired and going to bed but a quick Google netted patent 5822523. http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT5822523 [google.com]

digital TV?

[Chrisq]

'sharing data among many connected computers so that all users see the same digital environment'

Well there goes digital TV then....

Is a web page a digital environment?

[popo]

... because if it is, that's a whole lot of prior art...

Not prior art

[maroberts]

The patent seem to be about reducing network traffic on multi-server systems, and having some way of aggregating messages to groups of clients. I think most early MUDs are single server systems connecting directly to clients and unlikely to be prior art.

Re:My first thought

[Thanshin]

Since this pedated paltalk, [...]

Pedated?

Did it molest paltalk when it was young?

Re:Not prior art

[Anonymous Coward]

Sounds like IRC then?

Re:Let's patent patenting

[Shikaku]

I already claimed a 1 to infinite recursion of the patent patenting patenting .... patent.

Sorry buddy.

(Oh, I also claimed the infinity + 1 recursive patent)

((I also claimed the grammar nazi patent. "a 1" is correct because you don't use "an won", for won is a homophone to one))

Re:My first thought

[Fred_A]

My first thought was this is great anything to force innovation. Something more then the same old, same old in MMO gaming.

  But then again sounds a bit broad, as do many a patent these days.

On the other hand, an online game where none of the players would share the same environment would be more challenging !

- So shall we conquer the castle ? You have flaming arrows, right ?
- I'm feeding my pink ponies
- What space station is that castle on again ?
- Has anybody got spare rifle grenades ?
- Wait, we have to act in sync
- Ooops, gotta go, the unicorn is here !
- wait, what ?
- I think a castle just floated by
- floated ? Wait, where are you ?
- It's behind that large asteroid !
- Never mind about the grenades, I found a RPG, let's go !
- Ok, let's pause for a moment, this doesn't make sense
- They have fighters in orbit ! I'm on it !
- I'll cover you with the RPG !
- I'm so going back to Wow...

Re:Not prior art

[Fred_A]

The patent seem to be about reducing network traffic on multi-server systems, and having some way of aggregating messages to groups of clients.

Are you sure it's not about getting large sums of money from other companies without having to do any actual work ?