Four major video game industry players can put to rest a lawsuit brought forth last year by a voice recognition technology patent holder, according to court documents obtained by Gamasutra.
Texas-based Bareis Technologies settled with Ubisoft, Sony Computer Entertainment America, Disney Interactive and Electronic Arts last week after coming to an undisclosed "mutual agreement" before the case went before a U.S. District Court.
Bareis sued the companies last year, alleging that the game makers infringed on the 13-year-old patent that involves accessing disc-based data through vocal inputs. The original complaint cited allegedly infringing games including Ubisoft's EndWar strategy game, SCEA's SOCOM, EA's NASCAR 06 and 07 and Disney's Phonics Quest.
On April 22, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas Tyler Division approved a joint motion for mutual dismissal, which effectively dismissed both Bareis' claims as well as the defendants' counterclaim.
The two parties did not disclose terms of the settlement, although Bareis' original complaint sought damages or a "reasonable royalty." All parties involved will pay their own legal fees, according to the dismissal filing.
In my opinion, most NPEs (or so-called patent trolls) are legitimate organizations that conduct business much like many other corporate entities -- for instance, most clothing retailers do not actually design or manufacture the products that they sell; they simply distribute them at a markup and make a profit. Or how about stock market traders? NPEs' activity may be viewed as roughly analogous. Of course, abuse of the system should be curtailed and condemned. But I believe that, eventually, people will become accustomed to NPEs and recognize the validity of their business model:
so Gena Patent, by that name and the post is in the business of patent trolling. I agree that while the US allows frivolous patents it's a viable business model.
The point is that the things people and businesses are allowed to patent is ridiculous and needs to be stopped so that lazy individuals that submit a frivolous idea and sit on it waiting for someone else to actually be inventive get off their butts and do something productive.
and on top of all this after reading the patent in question, the individual came up with a theory using someone elses technology (the optical disc, the storage methods on optical discs and the player itself) and does not in any way provide an algorithm just an abstract idea that things can be indexed by voice rather than touch....throw it out along with the "inventor"
http://www.generalpatent.com/media/videos/patent-troll
The point is that the things people and businesses are allowed to patent is ridiculous and needs to be stopped so that lazy individuals that submit a frivolous idea and sit on it waiting for someone else to actually be inventive get off their butts and do something productive.
My nickel...all day, every day