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Microsoft reaches 5000 patents - but the latest one is a doozy

by David Dougher · in Torque Game Engine · 03/07/2006 (10:44 am) · 3 replies

Microsoft announced their 5000th patent today and the content of the patent which is game related strikes at the heart of just about every game that ever had an observer mode.

Doens't anybody at the patent office know about "prior art" in games?

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=8420
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Torque Owner David Dougher
Pariah Games

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Owner - Pariah Games, Adjunct Professor - Bristol Community College, Mentor - Game Design - Met School Newport, Mentor - Game Design - Met School Providence

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    Torque Owner Philip Engdahl
    #1
    03/07/2006 (11:15 am)
    I'm pretty sure that everything listed in this patent has existed in several games for quite a while. Just a few examples off the top of my head: Quake TV, Half-Life Television (included in the 1.0.0.8 official patch), and observer mode in Counter-Strike. Depending on how broadly the patent is interpreted, it might cover machanima such as Red vs. Blue etc. as well. Overall this sounds like a very bad patent and is yet another good argument for patent reform and the abolition of all software patents.

    Torque Owner Chris Labombard
    Premium Preferred
    #2
    03/07/2006 (11:23 am)
    I just ignore the majority of software patents.

    If I come up with an idea in my head I'm not going to let some faceless corporation stop me from implementing it.

    Torque Owner Neo Binedell
    #3
    03/07/2006 (3:59 pm)
    Well microsoft will most likely not enforce any of its patents from what ive
    read online. They basically just dont want to be caught like with the eolas
    debacle again.

    ~neo