The problem Ric has is mainly that he's trying to compare patented hardware to patented software. The difference is pretty easy to spot:
Hardware is where you have an idea for a way to build something, say a flying car. Now, clearly you don't want people to copy your design exactly, so you patent it. This is good; it encourages new designs, better designs, and more thinking.
Software, specifically this example, is like saying (randomly and out of the blue, I might add) "I came up with protecting my user's information first, pay me!" It clearly wasn't meant to work this way, but you can twist the legal sense to mean this.
That aside, practically every company on the internet uses protection against piracy. By the logic presented, Uniloc should be suing the following and more:
Nexon
Google
Yahoo
Microsoft
Sony
Nintendo
Curse
Disney
Valve
Anyone and everyone who owns a forum
Hell, even government websites use piracy protection.
This would have been different if the patent hadn't been "a system and method ... for preventing unauthorized access to electronic data stored on an electronic device", but as it says in that quote, they should be suing everyone.
A lawyer likely will not be needed... every single lawsuit likely didn't even make it to the courts. Instead it was likely settled by the sued for fear of the non-existing chance of loss of more money.
Show them you will fight (as you are doing) and they will likely come to you to settle.
That aside, practically every company on the internet uses protection against piracy. By the logic presented, Uniloc should be suing the following and more:
Nexon
Google
Yahoo
Microsoft
Sony
Nintendo
Curse
Disney
Valve
Anyone and everyone who owns a forum
Hell, even government websites use piracy protection.
This would have been different if the patent hadn't been "a system and method ... for preventing unauthorized access to electronic data stored on an electronic device", but as it says in that quote, they should be suing everyone.
They did sue some of those companies - and won.
Either the people at Uniloc are inherently stupid or even they are feeling guilty about this and are trying to comfort themselves by not referring to mindcraft (sorry, minecraft) or majong (sorry, mojang) directly? I dunno, the stupidity seems more plausible.
Why would they want to take on a company with a, quite frankly, MASSIVE online community anyway? There are bound to be MANY bright sparks amongst us that can pick holes in this and steer majong (sorry, mojang) down the right path.
xD. Actually they are quite smart. They play pretty dirty tricks with their intelligence. They won the law suit against Microsoft and many others, so Notch and Mojang would have to be pretty strong not to have their walls broken too, so to say. But I can tell Notch is pretty determined not to, as he said he would throw piles of many to get them not to have a single cent
I feel stupid asking this.
Why the hell are they suing Mojang? Are they doing it for the money?
They are suing other companies too recently. They made like, 388million dollars off a company, or something, and it all went to their head and theyre like "Oh YeAhs We hAvE tO Sue OtHer ComPAnIes TOo aNd GeT MOrE MONEEEEEEEEEEEY $_$"
12. Mojang is directly infringing one or more claims of the ’067 patent in this judicial
district and elsewhere in Texas, including at least claim 107, without the consent or authorization
of Uniloc, by or through making, using, offering for sale, selling and/or importing Android based
applications for use on cellular phones and/or tablet devices that require communication with a
server to perform a license check to prevent the unauthorized use of said application, including,
but not limited to, Mindcraft.
(This is in a critic term,[which is fair use] no copyright infringement is intended.)
I read the PDF...
And I have to say this...
IT'S CALLED MINECRAFT, NOT MINDCRAFT
Also,
Excuse me if I'm wrong, (it's 3 am so my brain may not be functioning) but are they suing because mojang used Secuirty that belonged to them? IDK, but I've always thought that coping is a form of flattery....
...Uniloc seems to proudly post on their website the fact that they have won patent lawsuits. If I was running a company, I would keep something like this under wraps, even if I did win the lawsuit. Does Apple or Google in their millions of lawsuits proudly boast which ones they won? It might just be circumstantial, but the fact that their shining glory is one of their patents (#5,490,216, as listed in that link) and not a product (such as Mojang's Minecraft) makes me question the legitimacy of their motive.
Maybe it's just the nature of the business, or maybe I'm getting worked up on minute details, but I'm calling shenanigans on this unless someone can objectively tell me otherwise (which, by all means, go ahead and call me out on this; I just want the facts straight on this). Normally, I would keep my opinions to myself in things like these, but with everyone crying "patent troll" and the overwhelming amount of evidence pointing to corrupt practice, something seems fishy here. And it's not the salmon I ate for dinner.
im not trying to be the bad guy but if this is saying what i believe its saying. (the pdf) its saying that game makers dont have permission to sell their products using the cell towers provided in texas. if this is true, then maybe, just maybe, these TEXANS have something going for them. except, its STUPID. but hey, if no one signed papers its on them. (yet i say again, stupid) im sorry markuss but your poket edition android app may have gotten you sued just because you didnt sign a paper stating that your game can be sent to phones through DATA PLANS. god, **** texas
god, fuc* you... its not texas.. its just where the company is based in.. now your going to die for blaming texas, have a good death:)
Money. They are the classic example of a patent troll: someone who sues other companies for copyright infringement for personal gain without any desire other than making money off of the opportunity.
Honestly though, I feel their lawsuit should be considered void or something because they can't even spell "Minecraft" correctly.
I'm probably going to be flamed here, but I think it's a case of give credit where credit is due. These guys went up against Microsoft, which most people would say were the bad guys at the time. If Mojang is actually using technology that someone has patented, then they (Uniloc) deserve to be payed for it. I don't know if there's any alternative method that can be used in this case, but the workman deserves his pay. Let's face it, it's not like Mojang are exactly poor at the moment.
Wikipedia - Uniloc Corporation is a computer security and copy protection software company founded in Australia in 1992 recognized as a pioneer in "try and buy" software distributed via magazines and preinstalled on new computers. More recently their aggressive actions against smaller companies has led to the company being marked as a patent troll.
LOL, of course they are marked as a patent troll. What in the hell did Mojang do to provoke them?! Greed and corruption threaten to destroy several million people's happiness. What bullies Uniloc are, bulling Mojang for fast cash.
And yet, the creepers always lose, no matter how much they hiSSSSSSSSSSSSS for mula.
We get it guys, lots of us have pointed out it's "Mindcraft", but it does NOT make the suit null and void.
Also, if we read through the document and other sources.
Minecraft Alpha Release Date: May 17, 2009
Minecraft PE for Android Release Date: October 7, 2011 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minecraft
They are suing for Minecraft PE, which is created after the reinstating of the patent, but is based on the PC version, which is created during the time the patent is expired, null and void.
Can anyone confirm if this applies or not?
This is the most retarded suing I ever heard in my life.
For people that didn't understand (including me until I readed the lawsuit), they are suing them for:
Mojang is directly infringing one or more claims of the ’067 patent in this judicial district and elsewhere in Texas, including at least claim 107, without the consent or authorization of Uniloc, by or through making, using, offering for sale, selling and/or importing Android based applications for use on cellular phones and/or tablet devices that require communication with a server to perform a license check to prevent the unauthorized use of said application, including, but not limited to, Mindcraft.
And by the way. Anyone knows Mindcraft? Seems like an epic game!
Hardware is where you have an idea for a way to build something, say a flying car. Now, clearly you don't want people to copy your design exactly, so you patent it. This is good; it encourages new designs, better designs, and more thinking.
Software, specifically this example, is like saying (randomly and out of the blue, I might add) "I came up with protecting my user's information first, pay me!" It clearly wasn't meant to work this way, but you can twist the legal sense to mean this.
That aside, practically every company on the internet uses protection against piracy. By the logic presented, Uniloc should be suing the following and more:
Edit:
A TED talk on this? Wow. That kind of beats out anything I had written immediately, good job.
[quote=Badgerz]You have to keep in mind that people are stupid.
[quote=Catelite]Just because you don't understand how something works, doesn't make it broken or pointless. >_<
They did sue some of those companies - and won.
xD. Actually they are quite smart. They play pretty dirty tricks with their intelligence. They won the law suit against Microsoft and many others, so Notch and Mojang would have to be pretty strong not to have their walls broken too, so to say. But I can tell Notch is pretty determined not to, as he said he would throw piles of many to get them not to have a single cent
They are suing other companies too recently. They made like, 388million dollars off a company, or something, and it all went to their head and theyre like "Oh YeAhs We hAvE tO Sue OtHer ComPAnIes TOo aNd GeT MOrE MONEEEEEEEEEEEY $_$"
(This is in a critic term,[which is fair use] no copyright infringement is intended.)
And I have to say this...
IT'S CALLED MINECRAFT, NOT MINDCRAFT
Also,
Excuse me if I'm wrong, (it's 3 am so my brain may not be functioning) but are they suing because mojang used Secuirty that belonged to them? IDK, but I've always thought that coping is a form of flattery....
(This lawsuit is invalid, Mindcraft)
http://www.uniloc.com/index.php/intellectual-property/
...Uniloc seems to proudly post on their website the fact that they have won patent lawsuits. If I was running a company, I would keep something like this under wraps, even if I did win the lawsuit. Does Apple or Google in their millions of lawsuits proudly boast which ones they won? It might just be circumstantial, but the fact that their shining glory is one of their patents (#5,490,216, as listed in that link) and not a product (such as Mojang's Minecraft) makes me question the legitimacy of their motive.
Maybe it's just the nature of the business, or maybe I'm getting worked up on minute details, but I'm calling shenanigans on this unless someone can objectively tell me otherwise (which, by all means, go ahead and call me out on this; I just want the facts straight on this). Normally, I would keep my opinions to myself in things like these, but with everyone crying "patent troll" and the overwhelming amount of evidence pointing to corrupt practice, something seems fishy here. And it's not the salmon I ate for dinner.
*steps off soapbox*
shirecraft.us
Money. They are the classic example of a patent troll: someone who sues other companies for copyright infringement for personal gain without any desire other than making money off of the opportunity.
Honestly though, I feel their lawsuit should be considered void or something because they can't even spell "Minecraft" correctly.
What?
They're sueing Mindcraft!
Everypony is awesome!
shirecraft.us
They sued that happy place with girls singing, bunnies hopping everywhere with a deer, and a mouse driving a boat? THEY MUST BE DESTROYED!
Everypony is awesome!
LOL, of course they are marked as a patent troll. What in the hell did Mojang do to provoke them?! Greed and corruption threaten to destroy several million people's happiness. What bullies Uniloc are, bulling Mojang for fast cash.
And yet, the creepers always lose, no matter how much they hiSSSSSSSSSSSSS for mula.
Also, if we read through the document and other sources.
Patent #6,857,067
Expired: April 7, 2009
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/og/2009/week14/TOC.htm
Reinstated: January 5, 2010
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/og/2010/week01/TOC.htm
Minecraft Alpha Release Date: May 17, 2009
Minecraft PE for Android Release Date: October 7, 2011
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minecraft
They are suing for Minecraft PE, which is created after the reinstating of the patent, but is based on the PC version, which is created during the time the patent is expired, null and void.
Can anyone confirm if this applies or not?
Glowstone Wire | MCF Modlist
For people that didn't understand (including me until I readed the lawsuit), they are suing them for:
And by the way. Anyone knows Mindcraft? Seems like an epic game!