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Sony Dismisses Claims Against Playstation Emulator
Gridle writes "According to this CNet article, Sony has voluntarily taken back the patent infringement case against Connectix, the makers of Virtual Game Station, a Playstation emulator for Macs and PCs. Here's the press release from Connectix."
I believe that you could patent the concept of rotary blades within the context of a reaper (at least at this time), provided that there was no existing/known usage of rotory blades for reaping. Your patent for such would not prevent me for patenting rotary blades for cutting hair...
I'm ashamed to admit it, but I once did exactly this.. VMware on NT booting Linux, Linux running ZSnes in Wine, and playing Super Mario Kart.. All because NT wouldn't run ZSnes right, and I was bored..
C'mon! Any one else do this? Don't tell me you haven't!
.sig: Now legally binding!
Reverse engineering has always been a hot topic. The issue comes down to what exactly was done. The ethical (and I believe legal as well but IANAL) litmus test that has generally been accepted is the black box idea--you treat something as a black box--info goes into it and then info comes out of it--and you make something that performs exactly the same way without actually looking into the box. My understanding was that Connectix (with previous experience in emulation software) was very careful to do it this way and could prove they did it this way. The Sony lawsuit was not about winning, but rather about pushing back the release and slowing sales of the Connectix product. It worked, and with the PS2 out, they'll probably do the same thing again.
As an aside, thankfully Compaq reverse engineered the IBM PC ROM using the same "black box" technique and helped launch an industry and change the world (tough to admit for a Mac lover).
Vote Quimby.
Sony has voluntarily taken back the patent infringement
The article at the link sure didn't read that way to me. It sounded like after losing seven out of their nine issues at court, Sony decided the cost of the lawsuit didn't justify the chance of winning. After all, their executives refused to comment; if they had been doing this out of a sense of "right", naturally they would have hyped it up into a big PR thing.
In conclusion, Sony remains evil, but at least the forces of evil have been held at bay... for now.
"Beware he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he deems himself your master."
Start with a G4-based enterprise server (not the Macintosh)
Install LinuxPPC
Run Mac-on-Linux
Run the RealPC emulator for Macintosh
Install a lilo dual-boot of Windows and Linux on that
Within the Linux partition, run Wine on VMWare
Within Wine, run VGS.
Half measures never got us nuthin! :)
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
Just my thoughts on the matter.
Yes, there was a Black Playstation which was called the NetYaroze. It let you use a basic API on your PC to write games, which were d/l into your playstation via cable (Can't have people burning PSX cds, now can they?). However, there were a few things which limited it. First off, it is no longer being sold. Second, your programs had to be less than 2megs, since that was the size of the PSX's RAM. That two megs also included a 500KB API library included with it. And of course, you couldn't show your friends unless they also had a NetYaroze. So the Black playstation wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. You can find some more info, including some on how to make real PSX games at Hitmen or Napalm.
Save a life. Buy more cheese.
- Naerbnic
So there I was, juggling apples and small animals, when I accidentally bit into the wrong one...
That is not true. The problem with giving up means that they leave themselves open for Emulation on the new PSX2. While this does leave it unresolved, it's better to be unresolved for Connectix. Connectix can make money off the PSX emu for now, and later on fight with more power, money, and a semi-precident of having done this and gotten away with it before. In my opinion, Sony lost this battle.
It's only when we've lost everything, that we are free to do anything...
Did it occur to you that perhaps Sodakar has an opinion based on a sense of right/wrong, and doesn't care about the details of laws he/she doesn't agree with?
So, like I said. He feels the way that he feels and doesn't want to let the facts, or reality, get in the way.
what you said, in other words, is: I feel it is my duty to define what other people mean by their statements and pass arbitrary judgements on them.
That's pretty much it.
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
Sony was slowly losing their entire case. In the past few months, one claim after another was tossed out by the court; eg. had no merit. Sony was facing a difficult task on the remaining claims. And oh by the way .....
Sony is huge player in the games title business (er... I mean content). They didn't see the logic of going to court and pissing off a bunch of game evangelists all for the sake of preserving a low margin aspect of their business - the HARDWARE end when they could just coopt and force more games through the channel. Games is where they make the real money cause you invest to get the first one and then each next copy takes a few bucks to make, distribute and sell. Consoles are expensive to make, hard to ship, get returned....blah blah blah.
And anyway does emu run as well as a console? or is a BIG company like Sony banking that slow performance will motivate folks to switch to a console. And what about PS2?
For those of you truly interested in this topic, here is an article that has an interview with the CEO of Connectix regarding this issue. It's posted at MacNN.
It's only when we've lost everything, that we are free to do anything...
Short interview with Connectix CEO
He mentions that a key point is that the technique of reverse engineering was completely cleared, opening the door to creating PS2, Dreamcast, and even X-Box emulators in the future (once PC hardware speeds are capable of it).
- Isaac =)
That, and they were getting their a?? kicked. Most of the patent disputes were already rejected by the courts. This was just the last nail in the coffin of the Sony lawsuit.
Hopefully, when "VGS2" comes out, they will not waste their time. After all, the PSX2 has lots of crunchy features that make it a nifty living room appliance, but the typical PC owner who already has a DVD player will have little reason to bother with the platform unless there is an emulator... and Sony makes the big money on the games, not the player.
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
I know you're joking, but I've actually become quite entranced by the GameBoy platform recently. It's simple, VERY well documented, and lots of free tools exist for developing for it. Nintendo doesn't seem to be too annoying about shutting down emulator and reverse engineering projects, too (they even released a game "Harvest Moon" recently, which was developed by amateurs). And best yet (in my view) no high-3D-flashiness/low-gameplay!
If you yearn for classic gaming and a reasonably open platform, grab an emulator (rew) and assembler (rgbasm) and check it out!
Shouldn't this have a favorable impact on any ruling rgarding DeCSS? It's practically the same thing i.e. Connectix provided a way for play Workstation disks on non-Sony players; DeCSS provides for a way to play DVD's on PC's.
So, Sony has made an emulator for PSX. If Sony won the lawsuit and forbade Connectix from writing an emulator, then can Sony legally write an emulator for the PS2? I know this sounds silly, but can anybody dispute this?
As for the MS/DOJ thing, it is not about patent infringement or IP. It is about predatory monopolistic practics at MS.
Also blockquoth the poster:
A patent does not guarantee the right to make a profit from an invention. It does not guarantee the right to an exclusive market due to an invention. It does not prohibit others from fulfilling the same need you've chosen to address via the device patentned.A patent does prevent someone else from implementing a solution in exactly the same way you do. In other words, I can't simply duplicate McCormick's reaper, but I sure as heck can come up with my own device for harvesting grain. It is not the concept of rotary blades that is patented; it's the particular form that is protected.
Admittedly, the federal courts and the PTO have really murked the waters by allowing software and "business model" patents (egregiously wrongly, IMHO). But even they don't say "MS patented Word, so no one else can make word processors" -- even ones that read Word files.
--- (*) Intellectual "property" is to property as fool's "gold" is to gold... It can't be "stolen", although one's rights vis-a-vis it can be infringed. Current usage is a deliberate obfuscation to play on the connotations of "theft".
The Mongrel Dogs Who Teach
Notice from the press release, they note "We recognize Sony may still attempt to bring these claims back before the court at a later date..."
Also note this occured 1 day before they were set to present their motion to dismiss (they being connectix). To me, it sounds like Sony is suing, causing trouble, then dropping the case before there's a chance for resolution. In other words, they're grinding on them without ever allowing the court to actually settle the issue, costing Connectix money and making people question the viability of the product, just using money on lawyers to make trouble. Maybe connectix should have had the right to seek a summary judgement on the matter to prevent such abuse. (or at least a right to continue a day and have their motion heard)
The way I see it, a PlayStation emulator isn't all that harmful to Sony -- after all, as lots of people are quick to point out, Sony doesn't make any money selling their hardware. Often, they'll sell it for a loss and make their money on royalties for their games. (They get a pretty hefty chunk of change on every PSX game sold.) If they can make money selling games without having to take a loss on the hardware, they'll probably be pretty happy.
The biggest drawback for Sony that I can see is that a game running on the Sony emulator (in my experience anyway) isn't as good as when it runs on normal PSX hardware. I suppose that someone who had never seen a PlayStation before and tried playing Soul Blade on their Bleem emulator might think, "Boy, Playstation games aren't all that good."
Another more dangerous (but perhaps less likely) potential problem is the fact that maybe these console companies could steal each other's publishing deals. Suppose to make Tunnel Raider V for the PSX, it'll cost me $5/game in royalties for Sony. Suppose Sega offers me a better deal -- say, $3/game -- to make the "Dreamcast Bleem Emulator" version of the game (which, totally by coincidence, happens to run on the Playstation as well). That could really screw over Sony. I don't think it's a particularly likely scenario, but it's possible...
Of course, most of this is a moot point now that most people are looking forward to the PSX2, which is probably the real reason why Sony isn't continuing their legal battle.
"Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die!"