WotC Strikes Again: Patents the CSG

[Kaodi]

Damn you, damn you all! As a direct consequence of this thread, my life can no longer be complete without playing massive, beautifully rendered games of BrikWars!

 

[Piratecat]

Here are a few things to keep in mind before judging WotC's motives:

Thanks, Charles!

 

[pawsplay]

Many times, companies who are on top of their game will simply patent something to prevent someone else from doing so. The relatively small cost of the patent process is a lot cheaper than defending themselves in court later with a less clear case, and they can enjoy the benefits of healthy competition without worrying about someone else litigating the small operators out of business.

 

[Ranger REG]

Nah, wouldn't want the pay cut. Which is the heart of the problem really. Overpaid corporate lawyers swamp underpaid bureaucrats with paperwork until said bureaucrats just say "okay, whatever, we'll file it!" (Disclaimer: I have two patents to my name. But they're both quite funky.)

Wuss.

I used to work as a patent translator. You get an incredible amount of crap through any patent office. German car manufacturers are notorious for it. They'll patent a single screw of a particular pitch and length just to prevent anyone else making spare parts. Then there are the crackpots, who'll try and a patent perpetual motion machines (despite rules saying "don't try claiming this") and weasels who'll use 83 claims to patent what is essentially a box. I've got very good at speed-reading legalese in four languages.

Isn't that what a patent office is supposed to do? Weed out the craps and award those deserving of it?

If you have a problem with it, reform the patent law.

 

[pawsplay]

Wuss.



Isn't that what a patent office is supposed to do? Weed out the craps and award those deserving of it?

If you have a problem with it, reform the patent law.

That's a great idea. Get right on that!

 

[Andre]

...reform the patent law.

Just don't forget to patent the patent law after its reformed...

 

[Rothe]

Steel Wind,
Your link is actually to the published US Patent Application, not the actual patent. Go here:
http://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.htm
and search the patent number: 7201374.

You'll find the claims are fairly different between the published application and the issued patent.

It seems all the claims are directed to a method of playing a game. Who directly infringes? The players. Of course there is always the questions of inducment and contributory infringement for game makers.

If your interested in the history of this patent and what they said to get it allowed, go here:
http://portal.uspto.gov/external/portal/pair
and select patent number and type in the number. Select the Image File Wrapper tab and you can download pretty much the whole prosecution history.

 

[Rothe]

Isn't that what a patent office is supposed to do? Weed out the craps and award those deserving of it?

If you have a problem with it, reform the patent law.

Yes, but patent Examiners get basically 8 hours TOTAL per application to read, search and write their multiple Office Actions.

Further, just because an application is translated and filed doesn't mean it gets issued as a patent. You can file anything, what they will allow is another story. Finally, what does it matter that someone gets a patent to a perpetual motiin machine? You can only infringe it if you meet the limitations of the claims, which by definition should be against the law of physics. So some nut can say he has a patent, big deal, he can never sue on it and the US governmet gets the fees for him maintaining it.

IMHO the patent law is fine, the problem is the patent office is understaffed and underpaid. These guys are not high up on the government pay scale and they have to live in the DC area, not cheap. In addition, constant diversion of the funds generated by the US Patent Office into Social Security leaves them underfunded. You can help by refusing to accept Social Security when the time comes.

 

[Ranger REG]

That's a great idea. Get right on that!

Sighs. I better say good-bye to pawsplay because we may never see him again.

 

[Ranger REG]

You can help by refusing to accept Social Security when the time comes.

Hell, no. IP law's not my problem. It's Bitorrent's.