790°

Microsoft Sued Over Xbox Live

On June 22, 2009, the day before trial began, the judge in this patent infringement case made a key decision by opting to use the special master's construction of a disputed claim.

In 1991, Peter Hochstein and Jeffrey Tenenbaum came up with the idea of communicating live while playing the same video game in separate locations. They patented the technology for doing so in 1994. In 2002, Microsoft released Xbox Live, a gaming service that also allows users to communicate while playing the same game. Sony also released similar capabilities for PlayStation 2. In 2004, Hochstein, Tenenbaum and Harold Milton, Jr. (an assignee of the patent) brought a patent infringement suit against Microsoft and Sony alleging that the voice and data communications technology used in the gaming systems infringed on the patent claims. For relief they sought a permanent injunction and treble damages. Sony settled its suit in April 2009, leaving Microsoft as the only remaining defendant.

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patentarcade.com
Arsenic135412d ago

Attention fanboys. The same sh*t happened to Sony so please read the article before some retarded crap is written.

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swiftshot935412d ago

holy sh1t lol. Its funny though.

Tony P5412d ago

Seriously, if you can take the time to write a comment, take time to at least read the blurb. You all want to accuse MS of foul play, but you neglect to see both Sony and MS are at risk. Clearly stated in the blurb alone.

The guy sued both. Sony settled this year. He's also brought a new lawsuit against the two since they've since come out with new consoles running on what he says is his same idea.

heroicjanitor5412d ago

MS and Sony use different ways to support online play, so how can he sue both? Does he own all online play because he thought of it first?

Thugbot1875412d ago

Just so silly because the patent used the most generic terms to describe online video game computer communication. Hopeful Sony and Microsoft can beat this.

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IdleLeeSiuLung5412d ago

This is the problem with patenting software ideas. Example of this is the amazon 1-click purchase.

I guess all companies do this so they all kill each other while the lawyer is laughing all the way to the bank!

RememberThe3575412d ago

Sony settled this a while ago. This is behind them.

FamilyGuy5412d ago

That patent is just ridiculous, there should be technology related to patents because the ability to patent an idea limits everyone. Why should I pay royalties to "that guy" just cause he thought of riding a treadmill to power a generator first? He should only be able to patent idea technological method of doing so.

If sony paid/settled the first time then his case against the PS3 and 360 are just as valid this time since he still owns the patent. Unless sony paid for constant use or something...

Arsenic135412d ago

I sacrificed a bubble to call out these fanboy tards.

FamilyGuy5412d ago

Well I lost 4 bubbles since yesterday for speaking out, WITHOUT BASHING, so beat that. LOL@me :(

AAACE55412d ago

The main question is, people have been playing PC games and communicating longer than Xbox and Playstation have been doing it. Why haven't they sued PC manufactuers or game companies?

I guess it's just easier to go after a defined big target as the culprit!

OgTheClever5412d ago

These kind of lawsuits really annoy me because it's more or less the case of somebody patenting something yet had no real plans of doing it themselves anyway. So if somebody comes up with a similar idea 10 years later, and it is in no way influenced by the original idea, then there really shouldn't be a problem.

JoySticksFTW5412d ago

And MS has more money than... well anyone... so they'll be all right

y0haN5411d ago

Lol, what you can get away with a patent these days. I'm sure these people patented drinking water and using the toilet.

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Lord Shuhei Yoshida5412d ago

M$ stealing the ideas of someone else is not new.Good thing that Microshaft already has the patents to flops and defective hardware

Sunny_D5412d ago

YEAH MICROSOFT CAN KEEP THOSE... LOL

HarukoHex5412d ago

ahhh sony was also sued, but then again ignorant fanboys like yourself wouldn't read that far.

Narutone665412d ago

settled the suit. MS haven't, they must be too arrogant to do so.

HarukoHex5412d ago

heres the difference MS knows it will win, seeing how the two with the patent never actually made the technology they patented the "idea" if they had done that, it would have been done long before 2002. T_T i mean really, how blind are you. its like those other attacks against the wii, they patented the motion but never actually made the device or knew how to due it, they only had the idea. so they will just loose. its just sony is to much of a coward to actually fight for what they help make. not the 2 losers who went hey i have a idea. and never do any actual work.

JohnnyBadfinger5412d ago (Edited 5411d ago )

You cant get everything for free!
Thats why Sony will ultimately loss the online war, they cant keep adding features and say have it for free because they are running at a loss cause with each new feature thats someone else they gotta pay.

XBOX LIVE will NEVER be free and rightfully so, But its only a matter of time before Sony start raping the PS3 owners pockets when they realise they cant deliver a feature that aint making them any money, or they'll just bin the feature all together (unlikely).

the clocks ticking droids, enjoy it while it lasts, cause it aint got long left.

AngryTypingGuy5412d ago (Edited 5412d ago )

Lord Sh!thead, try reading more than two lines in. Sony was guilty of the same thing, it's just that they already settled.

JohnnyBadfinger, you're exactly right. I don't know for sure whether PSN will always be free or turn into a pay service, but you can bet that Sony sees MS making a killing off of Live, and it's in the back of Sony's head that charging for PSN can be an extra source of MUCH NEEDED revenue.

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HarukoHex5412d ago

OMG, World of warcraft, city of heros villians, rune scape, ever quest, final fantasy 11, how about the ps2, you actually had to buy a extra 150$ device just to get online, oh how about this one. all those PC servers you all say are free. they are not, someone actually pays to let you play on them, if they all stoped you couldn't play anymore.....hmmm. you sony fans really can't think very well, if its not free its not worth it, really, tell that to every car dealer in the world, you have to pay 500$ more for a good stereo on the car, up to 1000$ for some decent looking tires. maybe those should be free since you can't drive the car without them. see this is how your logic looks.

UnwanteDreamz5411d ago (Edited 5411d ago )

So you're saying Sony giving something to their customers for free is a bad thing?

Wel I can see why you are stuck in the openzone. You kids make me laugh when you try to sound smart.

HarukoHex5411d ago

who said i was stuck in the open zone. >.>....as for sony and free we all know how that works, remember all the extra stuff they promised in HOME, yet most of that is not there. because its free. and how about the fact sony charges like 3.99 for a couch in home. what kinda of BS is that. you can't even get fake money to buy a couch in the game, you have to use your real money to add something you will never use in RL. so tell me who is really the criminal of the OMG lets make them pay for it. ROFL.

UnwanteDreamz5407d ago

Lets pretend that you know what you are talking about.

Now you would be aware that Home users get free items every month. You would be aware of the fact that you don't have to buy a single thing in Home to enjoy chatting and playing mini games. You would be aware of the fact that you are given FREE clothing spaces and decor such as a couch when you DL the free app.

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130°

Microsoft’s Surface and Xbox hardware revenues take a big hit in Q3

Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.

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theverge.com
darthv7212h ago

Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.

purple1012h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos1h ago

I'm not surprised surface is struggling they aren't relevant anymore

XBManiac1h ago

Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.

SimpleDad45m ago(Edited 44m ago)

"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."

That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.

purple10125m ago

Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

130°

Why Monopolies In Gaming Must Not Be Allowed

As of right now, there are no monopolies in the games industry, and for the sake of the medium as a whole, they never should either.

thorstein11h ago

Shouldn't be allowed in any field.

Inverno7h ago

And yet the biggest tech companies in America are essentially that. They buy up all the small comps only to kill them off and steal what they have, and if they can't buy em they bleed them to death.

jwillj2k46h ago

Eventually they’ll realize the value is with the employee not the company. Buying an IP means nothing if the people who contributed are let go. They’ll get it one day.

MrCrimson5h ago

tech is different because they buy threats and then kill them. Twitter bought Vine and did nothing with it. Despite people seemingly liking it. Could've had tiktok a decade before bytedance. go figure.

Zenzuu6h ago

Monopolies shouldn't be allowed regardless. Not just for gaming.

MrCrimson5h ago

They buy IPs not talent. That's why these buyouts never work and the IPs die. Right now it's too expensive to develop games - but I expect that to shift maybe as AI tools can make it easier. The best games have been indie games for awhile as big developers fuck their ips to death with "games as a service" -

130°

Looking Back At 2008, An Unbelievably Incredible Year Of Video Game Releases

Huzaifa from eXputer: "2008 was home to the likes of Call of Duty: World at War, Dead Space, GTA 4, Far Cry 2, Left 4 Dead, and many other hits, which is outright remarkable."

ChasterMies13h ago

Some of these low paid video game “news” writers weren’t born before 2007.

just_looken8h ago

Here here

Those that were around before 2000's i am sure are like me that think we entered a world of non readers or those that follow without question.

I can not wait to see fallout 3 a goty game even though it was about water with non content until you add the dlc/updates then you got the performance/crashing

CrimsonWing691d ago

I don’t think anything can compare to 2023

lucasnooker1d ago

1998 - the best year in gaming! Metal gear solid, crash bandicoot 3, medievil, half life, ocarina of time, thief, tenchu, resident evil 2, Spyro, tomb raider 3, oddworld abes exodus, banjo kazooie.

It was a different breed of a gaming era. You’ll never understand what it was like back then. The aura of gaming, it was different!

KyRo1d ago (Edited 1d ago )

I second this. Gaming was a lot more varied and fun than it is today. I'm 35 so getting on compared to some here but I got to see all the changes from NES up to now but I've never felt so disappointed in any generation than I have this current gen. I was expecting more from this generation rather than prettier versions of games that came before it. Game mechanics have become so refined that alot of games feel the same and has done for a while now.

Maybe it's time to have a break for a while. I love gaming but I don't feel I get much fun in the traditional sense out of it anymore.

CrimsonWing6923h ago(Edited 23h ago)

Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil 2, Abe’s Exodus, and Ocarina of Time are the only things from that list that I liked.

Here’s the 2023 game releases that I personally liked… and big releases that I didn’t care for:

- Dead Space Remake
- Wo Long Dynatsy
- Resident Evil 4 Remake
- Diablo 4
- Fire Emblem Engage
- Hogwarts Legcay
- Street Fighter 6
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Like a Dragon: Ishin
- Octopath Traveler 2
- Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters
- Final Fanatsy XVI (actually ended up not liking this, but it was still a big deal release)
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
- Lies of P
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Starfield (Ended up hating this one, but big release)
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (I’m an old-school Zelda fan, but didn’t really enjoy this game)
- Alan Wake 2

I mean, honestly I’ve never seen a year of major IP releases like that, ever.

Profchaos20h ago(Edited 20h ago)

Isn't it just a generational thing realistically.

I've been gaming since way back and I some of my favourite games go as far back as the late 80s for me each generation has a year or two of game changing releases one after another before an inevitable dry spell.

I kind of agree gaming had a different feel games hit different because we didn't have the internet nothing got spoiled and you really had to put in the effort to beat a puzzle which could set entire groups of people looking for a solution. But most importantly games were experimental and not as cookie cutter as today even basics like controls were not universal today r2 is shoot l2 is ads garunteed you can't deviate from that in a shooter back then it could of been square, R1 or R1 and circle nothing was standard.

But as time moves on a new generation picks up their controller they are going to be interested in different things that PS1 demo disc with the t Rex blew our primitive 16 bit brains back on launch but to kids today it's laughable.
The new gen of kids coming into to hobby seem to value different things to us there seems to be a huge focus on online play, streamers, gaming personalities, and social experiences, convience of digital downloads. To me I value none of that but that's ok like my parents not liking the band's I would listen to its just the natural cycle.

Gameseeker_Frampt11h ago

Just about every year in the 7th generation was great and something we most likely won't experience again.

2009 for example had Assassin's Creed 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Dragon Age: Origins, Uncharted 2, Halo 3: ODST, Killzone 2, Borderlands, Bayonetta, and Demon's Souls to name a few.

just_looken8h ago

It still amazes me we got over 7 rockstar games ps2/ps3 but 3 for the ps3/ps4/ps5

Dragon age 1-3 and mass effect 1-3 in 7ish years what a generation.