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Immersion Sues Sony and Microsoft Over Force Feedback
stereoroid writes: "Immersion Corp. has filed a lawsuit against Sony and Microsoft, alleging unauthorised use of their patents - here's their press release. The suit alleges that any use of touch or force feedback in their consoles violates their patents. For some obscure reason, this was first reported in the Irish Times today."
Today, Immersion technologies filed a separate suit against numerous adult "toy" manufacturers for patent infringements relating to a variety of force feedback mechanisms.
The suit names the makers of "orgasmatron" and the makers of the "king donger 3000"
I live my life one quarter pounder at a time -Vinh Diesel
I thought Newton would've got all the patents in on force feedback...
I didn't see the exact patent numbers that were supposedly infringed on. Looking at Immersion's patents, it seems they are for real force feedback. Like making a controller harder to push when you are up against a wall. Not the nerve killing vibrations of the current console controllers. Microsoft did make a true force feedback joystick for the PC though.
Well it isn't a software patent, and the suit is against two big corps we love to hate. But if they are claiming a patent on a vibrating controller, I think there may be prior art.
Oh, one more thing. What happens with companines like Logitech (who also made a true force feedback joystick) that licensed the technology, if the patent is declared invalid. Can they sue for the license fees that they paid?
Clearly I have prior art claims, since when I was 11 or so my friends and I would take turns hitting each other while we played with our Atari.
Any idiot could have designed the force feedback stuff, even Microsoft! How did that get a patent on something so simple???
Once something is invented it's pretty much always simple ref zippers and velcro... that's why there's patent laws; someone is innovative enough to realize that there's a huge potential market for something that's been pretty much staring us in the face for the last umpteen years, so they perfect it, and patent it so that [insert-megalithic-corporation-here] can't screw them outta there rightly deserved cash.
Oh god, that woman is John Romero!
My favorite from a quick glance over their patents is number 80 on their list.
"Implementing Force Feedback Over the World Wide Web and Other Computer Networks ". Taking a fairly common feature, and saying it can work over a network. Any network. A quick skim through the patent listing didn't have any reference to a specific unique protocol or anything that they designed.
Are they talking about realtime streaming of force feedback data? Are they talking about embedding that stuff in webpages? If I have my computer shake my mouse a little bit every time an FTP connection fails, can they sue me? It makes no sense.
One time I threw a brick at a duck.
Yeah. In Italy, there are lots of security firms that help restaurant and shop owners stay alert to relevent threats to their physical security...
If you don't want to pay those companies, you can do routine searches of your own on the PTO web site.
If you don't want to pay those companies, you can repair the baseball bat damage and put out the fires on your own.
Most businesses prefer to pay, though.
Say no to software patents.
As early as the 1950's military aircraft were using force feedback so the pilots could "feel" the plane. Fly by wire was just not intuitive without the feedback part. The first plane that I know used this was the Avro Arrow.
An exploration of mixology, spirits and bartending.
"For some obscure reason, this was first reported in the Irish Times today.""
Why, oh why, doesn't Slashdot post my submitions? Europe has been buzzing with this and other patent cases involving Microsoft. Microsoft recently failed to pay the measly $600,000 to the poor french couple who sold everything they have to fight for thier rights against Microsoft. They won! But Slahsdot doesn't report these things when I, a long time and loyal reader, submit.
It's the Softimage case morons.
Go to an antique arcade (here's one) and look around a bit. There's machines that use electrical stimulation (low-voltage applied across the handles) and machines that use mechanical feedback (vibration, pulling, pushing). Many of these machines date from the 19th century.
There's nothing *new* about this at all.
Get off my lawn.
If they were the first to come up with the idea, then Microsoft or Sony shouldn't be allowed to take their idea without paying for it.
Yes, but there are two points here:
1) They were NOT the first to come up with this. Loads of arcade games for instance have been using forced-feedback for many, many years.
2) This patent is far too broad, and should have never been granted. How can you patent the concept of vibration?! I could see if they patented a certain type of motor that produced a specific form of vibration, and Sony & MS stole the plans, but they are suing because their controllers vibrate. As much as I dislike Sony & MS, this lawsuit is BS.
I do wonder though. If Immersion wins, can the child in this story sue them instead of Sony??