STOP the Patent Troll!!!

[LCADolby]

The patent was issued to Treehouse on May 15, 2012... 

[Ack-Ack]

I liked the response from the CEO of Bad Pug Games.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/153654507/Bad-Pug-Games-response-to-Patent-Troll


ack-ack

[Slash27]

I liked the response from the CEO of Bad Pug Games.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/153654507/Bad-Pug-Games-response-to-Patent-Troll


ack-ack

[gyrene81]

I liked the response from the CEO of Bad Pug Games.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/153654507/Bad-Pug-Games-response-to-Patent-Troll

ack-ack

now that is hilarious... 

[Wmaker]

especially if he goes after ea, microsoft, sony, etc...etc... where the big money is. if he's not careful, he's could end up with a massive counter suit.

That's the whole point, they won't. They go after small businesses which don't have the money for the massive legal fees and therefore settle the case by paying smaller compensation/royalties of their revenue.

I see a lot of similarities to a mafia which collects "protection money" from small local businesses.

[zack1234]

I am taking donations for said defense of our beloved game

Please send cash as it is easy to manage

[Mister Fork]

So - they'll have to prove the infringement...right?
How I beat a patent troll

[Ack-Ack]

That's the whole point, they won't. They go after small businesses which don't have the money for the massive legal fees and therefore settle the case by paying smaller compensation/royalties of their revenue.

I see a lot of similarities to a mafia which collects "protection money" from small local businesses.

They've gone after some of the larger MMOs, this particular company is currently in litigation against Turbine (developers of Lords of the Rings Online and DDO Online) and there is another company that has gone after EA and Activision which was settled out of court.

ack-ack

[gyrene81]

I am taking donations for said defense of our beloved game

Please send cash as it is easy to manage

only if you're willing to do something "special" to the patent trolls and the pondscumsucking ambulance chasers they use for lawyers...photo evidence is not needed, just the news headlines will be enough.

     

[Wmaker]

They've gone after some of the larger MMOs, this particular company is currently in litigation against Turbine (developers of Lords of the Rings Online and DDO Online) and there is another company that has gone after EA and Activision which was settled out of court.

Sure they have, nothing compared to the size of Sony or Microsoft as gyrene mentioned, however.

I think this HTC's case is good example of how they usually operate. Frigging leeches.

[Karnak]

Ok, now that I am on my PC and not my cell phone I'll be bit more verbose than just a sarcastic did at the whole patent troll "industry".

1) If the brief description of the "patent" is accurate I can't see how Aces High infringes on it as you don't create a character in AH.

2) The courts have long held that you cannot patent something that is the same as an older thing, but On the Internet!

3) It is standard practice for patent trolls to go after smaller targets and make the cost of settling just a bit cheaper than the cost of fighting it.  Sometimes they go after big fish too, and sometimes they get the settlement, but sometimes they get fought and lose and when they lose their patent they lose their income.  For example a patent troll claimed that Amazon, NewEgg and others were infringing on their "shopping cart" patent for online retailers and Amazon and others settled but NewEgg has a policy to never settle with patent trolls (I don't think that policy was public at the time or it may have been created due to this patent troll) and fought it, and the patent troll no longer has that patent as NewEgg demonstrated there was prior art from Compuserve in the 1980s and the patent was ruled invalid.  Because of this I will lean towards buying from New Egg to support their troll slaying efforts.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/05/newegg-nukes-corporate-troll-alcatel-in-third-patent-appeal-win-this-year/
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/01/how-newegg-crushed-the-shopping-cart-patent-and-saved-online-retail/

As I have an interest in the tech world and patent trolls have primarily been parasites in that environment I have spent some amount of time reading about them and discussing the cases.

[Brooke]

HiTech, I have direct experience in this area professionally (am a cofounder of one of the world's largest publicly traded patent-licensing companies, have managed IP legal teams and strategy, and have been involved in a number of patent fights related to being a cofounder of a couple of biotech companies -- patent wars are a standard part of the biotech business).  There are ways that can potentially greatly minimize or eliminate such threats that are fairly quick and inexpensive to try.  As a long-time AH enthusiast (and AW enthusiast before that), I'm happy to talk to you about it.  My e-mail is brooke at customarrayinc.com -- if you want, just send me a an e-mail, and we can arrange a time to talk.

[moot]

I liked the response from the CEO of Bad Pug Games.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/153654507/Bad-Pug-Games-response-to-Patent-Troll


ack-ack

Won't load in scribd webpage frame and asks for signup to download.   Anyone have it mirrored or something?

[perdue3]

Gee, I wonder wh they aren't suing Blizzard? 

No kidding.

[Arlo]

Just returning the favor.  

I'm not thinkin' so. I don't whine your name in any old random thread for attention .... kid.