Worlds.com Files Suit Against NCsoft - Every Other MMO Company To Follow?

It was another game that had potential during beta and was actually great but got F****d on release because of Garriots last minute changes

It was originally an FPS then they changed to third person

Yup, there were quite a few features that were butchered due to "Lord British" holding them back.

Hence NC Softs pulling of the plug

Whats hilarious is he has stated in multiple interviews that he spent most of the money he had, but its was worth it for following his dream. Looking now that he is trying to sue NCSoft for multiple millions states otherwise!

I wish was the closing statement for the court case

Worlds.com is useless scam company maintaining vapourware products and claiming to have patents for 'everything of similar shape'. I would completely ignore these greedy bastards.

Even though this does not involve a "patent" ...

Lately I came accross this site http://www.eff.org/ and this case which really astound me.
Short version : "Marvel Comics claimed that NC Softs' City Of Heroes character creation engine gave the players the freedom to create characters that looked like some of Marvel comics characters, which it should not !!"

As I read through the article it seemed to me that like every other law, the law about idelectual property had been "pulled by the hair" once more.

Now the most ironic (I believe) thing about the lawsuit was that both sides involved, settled, without disclosing the terms of the settlement (it's their privilege), but as they stated "... all parties agree that this case was never about monetary issues ..."

Yeah, sure... ( oh look !!! Dumbo is flying right outside my window !!)

So, I believe that worlds.com lawsuit will have the same/similar results.

Now for the fun part.

Reading this paper I came across what seems to be the first ever (1974) 3D multiplayer game (without using a 3d engine), named "Maze War".

So worlds.com has the patent of something that not only was already been figured out, but it was also build into a "product" almost two decades before their patent.
Ok, they didn't have the modern 3D engines back at 1974 but the basics of the mechanics of "virtuals world" and "avatar interaction" is there.

Good job "patent office people", Thank you very much !!!

Have fun reading this site.

Anyone can sue anyone.

Winning the suit is another matter.

Damages awarded should they win, even more problematic.

If the suit really does affect Blizzard and other major mmos, then they will be up against massive legal resources. The case could drag out for years. Then the decision could be appealed.

Wouldn't worry about this.

Article One Partners has Prior Arts confirmed found.

Heh, "Prior Art" was found in this thread alone. Multiple instances of it.

@Kumu, I know, thats why I posted a link earlier to the reward that article one partner was offerintg, and no one seem to care, article one partners were paying 50 grand for anyone who have proof and can explain the prior art. Someone is 50 grand richer!

I had completely forgotten about that lawsuit. I remember going to Worlds.com when I read about it and laughing at how horrible their site is - and terribly vague, too. You can just tell they're into some shady business, and have no real business in gaming.

I still confused as to why (without obvious money making opportunity scheme) they would do it against a big company.. I never heard of Worlds.com before the law suit really... i just want to see how this stupidity will end really.

Bottom line:
Companies aren't suing because they're offended or fear someone stole something.
They do it to be greedy copyright bullies, trying to steal whatever money they can from another company.

Well Ghost, why sue a little company and risk losing (and then be unable to get any money from anybody in future lawsuits because your patent is worthless)?
If you are going to go through the hassle of a lawsuit, you might as well sue somebody who can pay you.
That's like the first rule I learned in Torts class in law school: Sue the people who have money.

If a UPS driver who makes minimum wage and has $10,000 in debt runs over your cat, you don't sue the driver, you sue UPS.

You run into the rsik of loosing big time.. dont you?

I mean NCsoft is not defensel shlub =)...

In anyways thank you for clearing up my ..confusion you can say.

Hawk, I would imagine that Worlds would (and obviously did) sue NCSoft before Blizzard, because NCSoft doesn't have the legal defense resources that Blizzard does, and winning small sets a legal precedent that they can try to use against bigger fish

>sue someone because you're an idiot who lets your cat roam freely about the neighborhood and someone happens to kill it

Whut? I got tired of that stuff and set up high-power electric wire around the top of my backyard fence.

The neighbors stopped letting their cats roam freely after the third one died.

NCSoft will have ample legal defense resources, don't worry about that. The real reason they went after NCSoft first is because they're a major MMO company and based *outside* of the USA, which makes it a *LOT* easier to get a US court to rule in World's favor.

Reviving a dead topic (kinda) with some good news: the case is no longer in Texas, and has been moved to California.
Link

This is naive. It has nothing to do with "legal defense resources", as ogre_jd notes, and everything to do with U.S. company vs. foreign company in a court in Texas (where it was filed). Thankfully it moved to the west coast, closer to Korea.

im pretty sure NcSoft can hier a layer of the same lvl as Blizzard can. Dont be silly. NcSoft doesnt live from game to a game or pay-check to a pay-check... -_- Really as previous poster said Naive much.

so they cant keep there crappy game running so they might as well just blindly sue every other game on the planet?
well can they start with runescape?