What's this I hear about Wizards suing WizKids??

[Storyteller01]

I'm hearing over the grape vine that WotC tried to sue the makers of Pirates of the Spanish Main, claiming they had the patent on TCG.

Per the same source, they were suing WizKids over the Pocket Model TCG for Star Wars. Apparently, WotC dropped the suit. Wiz Kids is supposedly counter suing for something along the lines of frivilous lawsuits.


Any truth to this?

 

[DragonLancer]

Per the same source, they were suing WizKids over the Pocket Model TCG for Star Wars. Apparently, WotC dropped the suit. Wiz Kids is supposedly counter suing for something along the lines of frivilous lawsuits.

No idea. I know that WizKids got around the legal side of things because their Pocket Modals are sold as a collectable card game not a miniatures game (WotC has the miniatures license).

 

[DMH]

Wizkids is suing WoTC. I lost the link, does anyone else have it?

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Well, they DO have a patent on it. No claiming about it. Don't know about any legal brinksmanship between the two though.

 

[JustKim]

The last I heard both sides were saying no legal action is planned over the patent. If someone went to court about it, they had a very sudden change of heart.

 

[Steel_Wind]

The last I heard both sides were saying no legal action is planned over the patent. If someone went to court about it, they had a very sudden change of heart.

Incorrect. Wizkids has, indeed, sued WotC.

The actual Complaint filed in the District Court in Seattle appears as an attachment to my message on the second page.

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=197270&page=2&pp=40&highlight=patent

 

[Bacris]

Very intriguing. Reading the actual complaint and Ryan's thoughts were quite enlightening.

 

[Deset Gled]

My understanding was Wizkids was challenging WotC's patent on a Constructible Strategy Game. Challenging a patent is very different from suing a company. If anyone was suing, I would think that WotC would have to be the one doing it, since they're the one with the patent that can be infringed upon. However, it is very common for the actual suing to have to wait until after the patent challenge has been seen all the way through.

Previous thread on this was here: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=197270

Y'know, I almost went into patent law after I got out of college, but decided I didn't want to move to Virginia.

EDIT: Or, what Steel Wind said. Don't know how I missed that.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Fascinating. I find intellectual property law very interesting, but find it rather disappointing that it, like most law, doesn't come down to what is right, but to the cost/benefit analysis tied to who has the resources to carry on a prolonged legal battle.

In a system where the side with the most/best lawyers wins, the only ones who really win are the lawyers. There's an appropriate Shakespeare quote, there, methinks.

 

[Ranger REG]

Unless you're the losing lawyer who took a pro bono case.