Whee, these f***ing software patents…
This could hurt Unity too as embeded application. Hope they take that case to do something with patents as this hurts the whole internet.
I don’t know if anyone else here is old enough to remember this, but this sort of reminds me of when Comptons New Media was awarded a patent on “multimedia”. The entire industry was in an uproar. I owned a small multimedia production company that was located about 1 mile from Compton’s headquarters. I’m happy to say that my measely little company survived the ordeal while Comptons didn’t. 
Yes software patents are a joke and an anomaly of the US.
Prior art: WebObjects pre-dates this 2002 patent by about 7 years 
Not to mention the countless number of Java applets and ActiveX controls that were in use in the late 90’s
hmmm - i wouldnt see this too dramatically
AFAIK all MS had to do in it’s Internet Explorerbefore the settlement, was preventing some autostart-mechanisms . Hence there were timeperiods/browser versions where you got a “you have to click to activate this control” suddenly for ActiveX controls in IE. After the settlement this was gone again.
Adobe Flash provides a simple workaround for this problem by generating a small (i mean really small)
javascript which does some magic for you automatically, so i guess for the end user this would mean a little annoyance. But in no case i want Unity to pay millions of possible R&D dollars for such a silly settlement…
Wouldn’t Unity be exempt from this anyways given UT is based in Denmark? There’s no software patents there if I’m not mistaken.
Though given the company does have a US presence, maybe not. Not a lawyer, heh.
Software Patents are definitely one of the dumber things about the US.
These software patent abuses make me want to blow things apart.
I’m kind of schizophrenic about software patents myself. I am working on a few ideas and “inventions” at the time and would love it if it would be possible to protect this work from being used by other people and companies or at least give me the legal right to get my fair share or money from what they earn with my ideas and hard work. But unfortunately, or fortunately, this is not possible here in Europe. My only legal helper is the copyright law, but that protects only the finished work I sell but not the technical ideas within. Just change the appearance of my work and you are free to sell it yourself without a chance for me to intervene.
But on the other hand: I’m quite happy right now that I do not have to check every single step I take and technique I use on whether or not I violate patents of other people. I know that this would open doors for legal disputes on so many levels and that expenses for patent attorneys would skyrocket for companies because you would have to pre-check so many things for your projects. Let alone these tons of license fees you’d have to pay to patent holders for the techniques you have to use. I don’t want to have that.
So… What to do? What to want? Legal protection of my work or freedom?!
kill all lawyers that should solve at least ten percent of all problems
Whimsical, I wouldn’t worry about it. I’d focus on getting your product out and selling it. Then you’re also protected by trade secrets, copyright and trademarks. Patents are for inventions. Software, in Europe and just about everywhere else outside of the USA is not covered by patents, but by copyright. You can’t patent an idea. If your implementation of your idea is good, people will buy it and when you start selling it you have several established protections. Something which patent trolls in the USA don’t seem to care about. They claim patent infringement even though they’ve not actually traded with that “invention”.
- I’m not a lawyer
What I ask myself is: How much does it cost to pay the US patent officers to accept obviously illegal patent requests with the sole target to sue other companies through patented stuff that is NOT your invention?
When will the USA finally introduce mechanisms for all other companies to “brancrupt sue” such cheapsakes that try to missuse an obviously flawed and stupid system to their benefit, so others who want to follow that path know that they will be gone if its done through unrightfull meanings?
God what am I happy that I’m not US based. No software patents here and likely there will never be because patents in europe work basing on “real patents” not brain farts. You have to proof that oyu invented something to get a patent, not just patent some shit and force other companies to invest tens of thousands of dollar in proofing that you are not the inventor of said thing. BS system the USA came up with their, really just asking for missuse.
Patent trolls make hilarious headlines 
Agreed. There’s nothing a lawyer can solve that you can’t solve yourself with a good perspective, patience, and a sniper rifle. :twisted:
I’m quite familiar with this particular lawsuit as it first hit Microsoft during my Macromedia years (search using the term EOLAS) and we had to take steps to instruct folks how to embed media in the updated IE as they worked to protect themselves*. The truth is that this has nothing at all to do with us violating any patents as a plugin technology.
First the patent holders went after Microsoft (deepest pockets, the sued them for buckets of money), and now that they’ve won they’re taking their cast to the next two browser companies with deep pockets. Apple faces the biggest damage potential as it all depends on the number of browser you’ve shipped that violate the patent, I know Google Chrome is growing fast but they have a ways to go before they have as many browsers delivered as Apple ever has of Safari… (ever) Then add to that a list of other sites with deep (enough) pockets to warrant lawyer time.
Some of this patent stuff is truly depressing and this is one of those times. Oh well, I just don’t see it affecting Unity Tech in a lawsuit way as we’re not a browser provider. It might hit us all as developers in that we get to jump through hoops to keep life the same as it’s been for year. Yay. 
*This is why in M.soft IE you had to use an externally linked JavaScript file to do your document.write() calls to embed media, else the user had to “click to activate” content before it would load. Those steps allowed Microsoft to continue shipping IE without facing additional financial damages. The ultimately lost the lawsuit, settled up and reverted those changes in later releases.
And Mozilla?
Don’t give them any ideas…
I’m sure they’re on the list somewhere and these guys are simply working down the list in the order of who has the biggest bank account.
Not bothered about mega big corporates losing percentage points…to Other Big Weasels but I am a bit of a socialist or some may call me a commie…However despite my socialist tendencies I am annoyed that these Vultures stifle innovative development to line their grubby pockets…