This is so weird!? Supposedly a group of guys (aka Worlds.com) got together and applied for a patent on the creation of online worlds sometime back in 1999 (it was granted in May 2004).? Almost ten years later, they are suing NCSoft for infringing on that patent with the creation of City of Heroes, Lineage II, Guild Wars and Tabula Rasa.? They tried to put Lineage in there, but it was actually created in 1998, before the patent was filed.? Also to keep in mind, City of Heroes was created in April 2004, one month before the patent was granted.

The way the patent is written, it sounds as though the creation of any MMO by anyone other than this group of noodle heads Worlds.com is infringing on the patent agreement.? There’s example images of an interface as well as 55 lines completely describing what would be a modern MMO and a vocabulary section using words and descriptives that are used in an MMO universe. ?

Basically, they’ve patented anything and everything used within an online universe.? So, after NCSoft gets sued, you think they’re going to go after Blizzard next?? Well, earlier this month, Worlds.com hired the IP enforcement firm General Patent Corporation (GPC) to enforce its patents. The company indicated Worlds.com may be planning an industry-wide shakedown on its MMO patents.? So, everyone needs to be prepared for a bit of a battle I suppose.

I’ve heard of patent/copyright trolling before and I’m not aware of anything like this holding up in a court of law.? That doesn’t mean that they can’t win an argument, I’ve just never heard of a tiny minow in a big pond attemping to eat a huge shark.

WanderingGoblin will be keeping it’s eye on this one because it’s interesting as crap!

[via: WorldofWar.net, TheRegister.com]

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