Farmville Maker Zynga Sued Over Patent Infringement

[beayn]

How can you patent giving prizes for something? That's a pretty old concept, and so are "credits".

 

[dalethepcman]

I think the Chinese should sue EA, Zynga, Blizzard and tons of other game studios for stealing their idea of selling virtual goods for real money.

 

[bin1127]

Oh yaa keep on suing. Make us proud! Please sue me for using oxygen too.

 

[Guest]

I like Zynga being sued 😀

 

[Guest]

what the heck does that mean?

 

[evo_7]

I need to copyright the names "PS4" and "Xbox 720" if not yet copyrighted and claim they are for hardware based on a console I am developing and sue MS and Sony over it when they release their products.....

The American Dream can be yours!.....If you can afford a good lawyer of course!

 

[drumsrule786]

Screw it, I'm gonna patent breathing

 

[Guest]

Well, well, well... that explains why Zynga customer service is as pathetic as it is, and why they cannot keep their games running well. Freikin' thieves.

 

[eddieroolz]

Frankly I don't like Zynga but Agincourt sounds like it has nothing to back it up.

 

[Vorador2]

Company with no substantial product patents a vague idea, sues the bejeebus out of everyone else in their field when patent is granted.

Sadly i've seen this pattern too much lately. And i don't like it. Patents were made to promote and protect innovation, not the other way around. The US patent system is extremely outdated and it should be rewritten ASAP.

 

[Marthian]

I don't play any of Zynga's games, but honestly, this is absolute BS. Seriously, while they're at it, why don't they sue just about every MMO developer/publisher in existence because most of them offer a similar system. What is the world coming to...

 

[Guest]

I enjoyed playing Farmville,when arthritis kept me in my chair.Sadly it no longer works.I spend hours just trying to call up the farm but I can't get it.Is this caused by some selfish company,interfering with my fun? Lets sue them!

 

[f-gomes]

Don't get me wrong, dear Americans. I care for you, I really do, you live in a wonderful country, but your patent systems and corporate culture are retarded. How can you keep feeding this kind of crap?
I remember when that McDonalds coffee spill hit the news, everybody I know was shocked to see how stupid american courts are. But the bar keeps beeing raised (or lowered, if you will) so much that that coffee spill case starts to look reasonable.

 

[sykozis]

[citation][nom]cognoscentiable[/nom]I know it's getting boring... why are companies and corporations so whiny nowaday's, what happened to just adapting to the competition?Maybe I just wasn't aware of most of the past lawsuits before Apple owned rights to the rectangle.[/citation]
1 reason, is a common practice. "If you can't beat them, sue them"... Basically, if you can't beat your competition in the market, beat them in court and remove them from the market.

 

[sykozis]

[citation][nom]f-gomes[/nom]Don't get me wrong, dear Americans. I care for you, I really do, you live in a wonderful country, but your patent systems and corporate culture are retarded. How can you keep feeding this kind of crap?I remember when that McDonalds coffee spill hit the news, everybody I know was shocked to see how stupid american courts are. But the bar keeps beeing raised (or lowered, if you will) so much that that coffee spill case starts to look reasonable.[/citation]
The "coffee spill case" wasn't the worst...

In 2003, an idiot filed suit against McDonalds over his son's weight problems. The guy fed his son McDonald's food for breakfast and dinner 7 days a week and claimed McDonalds was solely at fault for his son's weight problem. It's been well documented for at least the last 30 years that McDonalds sells some of the most unhealthy fast food in existance, but the court's let this BS get to a judge who, surprisingly, dismissed the case....but the fact it wasn't thrown out before going to trial is stupid in itself (kinda like these concept patent suits)....

 

[MrBig55]

credits-based online gaming and a prize redemption system based on the outcome of game play."

Could be any games realeased so far... and the prize part is what makes World of Warcraft a great game for no-lifes of this world ^^

 

[jacobdrj]

This suit may not be nice, but it is consistent with other litigation I have read about, dating back to the middle part of last decade...
The problem is that the judges need PhDs in Computer Science to truly descern which software is truly patentable...

IMHO, however, software should be under copyright law and NOT patent law. It is code. Not stuff...

Besides, both patents and copyrights should have expiration dates (real ones, not ones that end but being renewed every 10 years).

 

[hoofhearted]

I normally hate this kind of patent BS, but in this case if it means the demise of Farmville crap, GO LAWYERS!!!

 

[freggo]

If they own the rights since 1996 why did it take that long to sue ? I mean farmville has been around a while. Ah wait... you first wait and let the other guy get successful, THAN you swoop in. Isn't there a paragraph in the patent laws that requires a patent holder to defend his patent in a timely manner; i.e. when he becomes aware of the infringement, not when he feels it is worth while to sue ?
Any IP lawyers in here that can put their 4 cents into the ring ?

 

[junixophobia]

[citation][nom]sykozis[/nom]The "coffee spill case" wasn't the worst...In 2003, an idiot filed suit against McDonalds over his son's weight problems. The guy fed his son McDonald's food for breakfast and dinner 7 days a week and claimed McDonalds was solely at fault for his son's weight problem. It's been well documented for at least the last 30 years that McDonalds sells some of the most unhealthy fast food in existance, but the court's let this BS get to a judge who, surprisingly, dismissed the case....but the fact it wasn't thrown out before going to trial is stupid in itself (kinda like these concept patent suits)....[/citation]

I remember a lawsuit about a cat who died in a microwave. The owner put it there to dry, start the microwave and complained to the judge that it died.... and I think he/she won...!

Is it also in US..?