So, I just read that Worlds.com got, what seems to me, another extremely broad and obvious patent.

They already sued a few mmorpg developers on it.

So, how do you guys think this patent will affect small game developers?

Also, could somebody please explain to me how come they get to register several patents that are basically the same?

The earlist '96 patent is basically just like the rest of them. It's basically supposed to expire in three years, yet they have other, more recent patents that seem to be almost identical. How is that even possible? What, do you just get to rephrase your earlier patent and get an extension??

Please, share your thoughts.

Seems like nothing new, its just one more to the stack of stupid software patents the US law allows if you circumvent it by calling an algorithm a system and method and pretend its an invention although millions of people did the same before.

I believe this patent will be turned down as invalid due to prior art and being trivial soon. The wording of that patent basically covers every computer game with more than two players published during the last 25 years, including most everything on XBox or Nintendo. The "innovation claim" about sending positional updates from one client to another is simply ridiculous, even for the US patent office.

Companies like e.g. Blizzard probably won't let someone file a patent and take away their earnings for something they've actively developed and been using for two decades. They've got deep enough pockets to afford a lawsuit, and they have a very strong position.

Well, I really hope that they will not settle it out of court, though. Sometimes, it's good for big companies to just do it because they will have to pay either way: legal fees or licensing. And actually, for companies like Blizzard it could be a good strategy to allow these patents to exist. That way, this patent which is not even theirs, will still protect them from smaller competitors.

Let's just hope they go to court and invalidate this patent.

But as I said, what I don't understand is how come they get to re register an almost identical patent? So, in order to invalidate it, you need to show prior art before 96, yet they also have a much more recent patent that is almost identical. So what, they both get to claim a patent as early as 96 and yet still, maintain it for longer due to more recent ones? That's what I really don't get.

Is it yet another loopwhole in the US patent system that allows you to update your patent to keep it from expiring? Ridiculous.

On the plus side, companies can file to invalidate the patents now before they go to court.