[Galemp]

From The Register:

A US legal firm specialising into corporate law is taking the world's biggest computer games publishers to task over what it claims is the violation of a 1987 3D graphics patent.

The patent, number 4,734,690 is owned by one-time printing and graphics specialist Tektronix and covers the display in 2D of a 3D image. It was filed in April 1987 and granted almost a year later.

The technique described is used by almost every game that uses 3D modelling, from the latest titles right back to the likes of Quake and possibly right back to Doom and even Wolfenstein - all products of the 1990s. It covers the use of a 3D space - the UAC HQ on Mars, say - to encompass one or more 3D objects - half a dozen Cacodeamons, say. The patent details how panning across the scene - sidestepping past a plasma bolt, say - can be realistically depicted on a 2D display, such as a computer monitor.

Given its ubiquity, the firm behind the suit, Dallas, Texas-based McKool Smith, has named all the big guns in the gaming industry, including Electronic Arts, Activision, Take Two, Ubisoft, Atari, THQ, Vivendi Universal, Sega, Square Enix, Tecmo, Lucasarts and Namco. Some smaller firms are also in line for action, apparently.

Prior art may yet come to their rescue. Early 3D games, such as The Colony and Spectre, released in the late 1980s, may just come in ahead of the 1987 filing. Early CAD and 3D graphics apps may also utilise the kind of process outlined in the patent, which doesn't explicitly focus on games, though that's clearly where the money is these days. Heck, even Elite, from the BBC Micro days, might well utilise such a techique.

Thoughts?

[Rictor]

yeah, I saw this on Bluesnews.
what a joke.

[Taristin]

Ridiculous.

[Goober5000]

Yeah, this is why we shouldn't have software patents.

[Jetmech Jr.]

That's ludicrous.

[phreak]

probably fake

edit: no news of it on the lawyer's web site http://www.mckoolsmith.com/

[karajorma]

Reminds me of British Telecoms claim to have invented the hyperlink.

[Petrarch of the VBB]

What next? Descendants of the ancient Egyptians claiming to have invented bread?

[MatthewPapa]

Lawyers will think of anything to get money these days...

[Nuke]

hey they mentioned elite, im impressed

[Lightspeed]

I patent the letter "a". Everyone using it must pay $0.01 per character used.

[Night Hammer]

that's funny, someone should have a got a patent on **** like that

[Anaz]

*patents the proccess of suing people over trivial things for money*

mwah.

[Lightspeed]

Originally posted by Night Hammer
that's funny, someone should have a got a patent on **** like that

[advertising voice]

With software patents, you can.

[/advertising voice]

[StratComm]

Software patents themselves aren't bad.  It's the concept of patenting an idea rather than a product that I take issue with, especially something like this.  It's been a mathematical reality to do these calculations for far longer than the idea of computer graphics has existed, and "representing a 3d image on a 2d surface" has been around since, well, forever.  What?  Did someone mention painting?  Perspective?

[Hippo]

I'm more worried why there's an add to cart button at the bottom of the page...

[Liberator]

It's like trying to collect money by suing over the patent for a Mouse.

[StratComm]

Except that a mouse is legitimately patentable.  In fact, look at your mouse.  I'll guarantee you that it mentions a patent on it somewhere.

[Knight Templar]

Excuse me while I go spill a slurpee on my crotch and sue 7/11.

[Liberator]

It's the principle of the thing though.  Mice are ubiquitous with computers, I don't like using a computer without one.  This is just some trial lawyer trying to make hay suing over something so ubiquitous that it would be easier to pay him to shut up and drop the case than it would be to persue it.  Besides, it's not there is another way to do it.