Worlds.com: We'll Sue World Of Warcraft and Second Life

The CEO of Worlds.com, Tom Kidrin, has stated that if his court case against NCSoft, the maker of MMOs such as Guild Wars and Tabula Rasa, is successful he will follow it up by suing other MMO developers like World of Warcraft's creators, Blizzard Entertainment.

Kidrin claims that his company, Worlds.com, owns the patent to create virtual worlds, dating back to the 90s. He claims his company came by the patents via Starbright World, part of the Starlight Starbright Foundation. Starbright World is an online world developed for seriously ill children, and is seen as a "private wonderland" for them.

[Dorjan]

He's kidding right?

[Rock Bottom]

If they win, I'm Suing Bill Gate for being rich.

[jadenkorri]

utter retardness, its the only way for them to make money

[SuperM]

People like this guy represent the lowest beings in the universe. Parasites trying to make money on others success (or in some cases failures)

[rockleex]

Revision!!

New patent system should require that whoever patents something, must create something out of that patent within a set amount of years(depending on how hard it is to make).

[Maticus]

Hmm, and Vivendi - the guys behind Blizzard - are now sponsors of Starbright World. How did Worlds.com get these patents??

[Super-Brad]

This means second life has to have a go, google Maps aswell well sort off, gta games? nearly every game.

All games has its own "virtual world".

[Pennywise]

I hope this guy loses and these companies take him for everything he has.... slanderous.

[TheColbertinator]

This guy better get ready to be slaughtered.It will be like a Level 5 Gnome attacking Arthas.

[Trebius]

You cant patent virtual worlds...that should not even be an issue...i hope he gets laughed out of court.

[Karum]

I hope they lose horribly in court. One of the most ridiculous cases I've ever seen.

[Major_Tom]

The ball is in Worlds.com court, but there's a 99% chance they will settle out of court.

[BrianC6234]

What a scumbag moron. I hate all this silly lawsuits. I'm going to patent the idea of games. If I get the patent everyone will have to pay me if they want to make a game. I bet nobody has thought of that patent yet. If I'm realy generic enough maybe I can include card games, board games and all other types of games.

[Myst]

Texas, I should have known...

[NickIni]

Ahh America. If you can't shoot them, you sue them.

[Tony P]

What the hell. It's like you can make money off of anything you think you might have thought of and is maybe in use now by possible parties somewhere.

[wibble]

This is what happens when you have a ridiculous patent system - people actually try to use it.

[heroicjanitor]

They wait for someone else to do really well then sue them for their success. Makes me sick.

[ChaoticStupid]

The idea of virtual worlds existed long before we had the ability to make them. When it comes down to it and this has happened in many of these suits, is that the original person to have the idea is the one granted ownership. Now since virtual worlds were part of science fiction for years how can anyone claim to own them? How many times have we read a story where someone invented something and never did anything with it only had the idea and they still won? Lots of them. So these people really have no case.

[Electricear]

The problem with a patent like this is that a patent is designed to protect an original idea; however, if it can be shown that the idea existed prior the alleged patent holder than the patent can be declared null and void. The thing about Virtual worlds is that the idea was documented in books, art, film and computer games long before this patent went into affect. Tron is a very obvious movie about a video game virtual world that came out in 1982, and MUD (Multi User Dungeon)originates from 1978. Spasim was the first 3D 32 player networked computer game, and it dates back to 1974. In the 80's I remember CompuServe offered some online multiplayer games, and I also remember my mother handing me the phone bill with the $60 charge for the initial download of one of them and I never got to actually play it. The first official graphical MMO was AOL's Neverwinter Nights (not the bioware one) and that came out in 1991. This easily predates this patent by 6 years... So this Patent is utter garbage.

[JeepGamer]

As we've seen, particularly in the video game industry, all it takes to make money now is to patent something so broad and undefined then sit back and do absolutely nothing with the patent until somebody successfully brings something to market, then you sue them.

[Enigma_2099]

...if you patent something... and don't do a d*mn thing with it, you don't DESERVE any money.

[Kurylo3d]

I think the guys behind doom and wolfenstein should sue, every company that has ever made a first person shooter. lol ... that is as likely of happening as this case is of winning.