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Computer Solitaire Patented?

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the euchre-and-cribbage-proceed-with-caution dept.

Sadburger writes "Saw this over on GameDev: 'Thomas Warfield of Pretty Good Solitaire is reporting in his most recent blog that: 'My company has received the following letter from a law firm claiming to have a client that has patented computer solitaire. And by extension, all computer card games. I am not kidding.' Patent law strikes again...' Anyone know a good patent lawyer?" Someone alert the educational sector, since at least half my programming classes involved solitaire, poker, or blackjack.

13 of 102 comments (clear)

  1. Obligatory Joke by Tommy2099 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I didn't know SCO had a games division.

    1. Re:Obligatory Joke by thelenm · · Score: 4, Funny

      Why would they need one? They don't have an OS division either.

      --
      Use Ctrl-C instead of ESC in Vim!
    2. Re:Obligatory Joke by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 4, Funny

      One wonders, that considering the troubles SCO has seen, what kind of harrasment might be provoked by this action against
      Goldberg; Sheldon F. (3360 E. Serene, Henderson, NV 89014);

      --
      "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
      Never been known to fail..."
  2. Wow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Think of the royalties Microsoft will have to pay!

  3. In other news by Sklivvz · · Score: 2, Funny

    A law firm wrote to the Copyright Office claiming to own the copyright on Copyright Offices. Said firm asked for an undisclosed sum of money or else they would sue and get the Copyright Office closed for copyright infringment.

    Funny? Wait till we get there :-(

    --
    My Stack Overflow user
  4. Watch Out! by foistboinder · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm going to patent floating point math.

    --
    Yet Another Web Site
  5. The mother of all Patents! by Dutchmaan · · Score: 3, Funny


    I shall patent the process by which one attains a patent?.. and by extension all subsequent patents!

    I'll be a patent god with little bolts of patent energy zapping cash from every pore! People and corporations alike will fall at my feet and beg for mercy as I pitilessly strip them of financial resources...

    BEHOLD! I *AM* PATENT LAW!

  6. Computer Solitaire? by Bonewalker · · Score: 4, Funny
    That's stupid. Computers don't even like card games. Except for WOPR, who was all about playing games.

    Why would they sit around for hours playing (cards) with themselves?

    I wonder if I could patent human solitaire? Or better yet, humans playing with themselves...I would be richer than Billy Gates!

    1. Re:Computer Solitaire? by El · · Score: 5, Funny

      Actually, OS/2 shipped with a solitaire game (Yukon) that would play itself, thus saving the users countless hours of time and freeing them up to perform more productive tasks!

      --

      "Freedom means freedom for everybody" -- Dick Cheney

  7. Microsoft will stomp on this by Muda69 · · Score: 3, Funny

    If this is allowed to happen all the MCSE's (Minesweeper Consultants, Solitaire Experts) will have to pay royalties.

  8. Dear Thomas Warfield: by josephgrossberg · · Score: 4, Funny

    Go play with yourself.

    --

    Joe
    http://www.joegrossberg.com
  9. In that case... by BTWR · · Score: 3, Funny

    I am hereby filing a patent for a programs in which the output "Hello World" comes up on the screen.

    Anyone who copies this will feel the wrath of my lawyers...

  10. Re:Maybe the patent office never heard of Wes Cher by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 3, Funny

    They're specifically patenting providing card games over a network.

    Solitaire over a network? Sounds like a very unbalanced players/observers ratio there.

    --
    Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?