Slashdot Mirror
Nintendo Awarded Patent for Instant Messaging
Zwzo writes "Nintendo has been awarded a patent for a video game messaging service that utilizes a buddy list and can display information about game activities and user status." From the article: "Initially filed in 2000, a year before the release of Microsoft's Xbox and two years before the official launch of Microsoft's Xbox Live Internet service, Nintendo's patent is relatively broad and could potentially lead to litigation against other major players in the game console market. Although the text of the patent itself refers to the Nintendo64 and Game Boy Color by name, some have speculated that this patent could portend an instant messaging system for the Wii."
As long as they don't weild it as a patent troll I will just mind my own business. Hopefully they have better things to do than use it against competitors.
Jumpstart the tartan drive.
But the question is: Did they file this patent so they could sue the pants off Microsoft et al. Or, did they file the patent just for protection against a suit?
it would knock nintendo down a notch in my book if they threw this patent around [unprovoked].
It just goes to show how ridiculous some patents can be. Companies like Valve have used instant messenger in their games (Steam --> Friends) for some time now. Now I can see protecting innovation, that is perfectly respectable, but patenting something that has been around for ages now just shouldn't be allowed! Next they'll patent "fun".
If Nintendo does try to use it against Microsoft though, it'll just be a case of Microsoft getting a dose of their own medicine. They've been trying stuff like this for years.
Who wants to start listing prior art? I don't know offhand, what sort of messaging capabilities existed in XBand, The Sierra Network, AOL, countless BBSes and BBS doors, MUDs, the old UNIX mainframe games, etc.?
Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
Nintendo probably only did that to protect themselves from more predatory companies. I doubt Nintendo would try to go after Sony or Microsoft legally.
- Nintendo does not have a patent on instant messaging. Nintendo has a patent on an instant messaging product. Some or all other instant messaging and/or game instant messaging products will not infringe on Nintendo's patent.
- Nintendo patents pretty much everything they do, every platform product they develop-- even if, as with the N64. This doesn't mean they intend to use the patent. It just means they wanted a patent. Nintendo owns patents on gobs and gobs of different things, but to my knowledge they've never used one against a competing video game system, ever. Nintendo patents stuff because they just don't want someone in thailand to make an N64 clone using Nintendo's circuit boards or whatever.
- The patent is from 2000. If this patent were anything but paperwork to Nintendo, they could have done something with it by now. The people at Nintendo probably barely even remember filing it. This patent tells us what some people inside Nintendo were thinking around 2000. It's interesting because it tells us that a few years ago, when Nintendo looked at XBox Live and said consumers didn't want it, Nintendo wasn't just posturing because they were annoyed Microsoft had thought of it first-- they'd actually thought out an online service and then decided the market wasn't ready for it yet. But besides Nintendo's circa-2000 mindset, the granting of this patent doesn't tell us anything else.
This article is stupid, and you're stupid if you took it seriously.This is interesting becasue that means that they could potentially throw it around at M$ and XFire and the like, although if they did I think it would just be bad PR and a lot of people would lose faith in them.
But how cool would it be for them to totally screw M$ over... anyone, anyone?
--Valthan
My question is: What is the use of an instant messengee on the Wii without a keyboard, besides the usual 'Who's playing online, right now.' ?? I wonder if they plan to let the Wiimote function as a voip phone, and the instant messenger as a phonebook of sorts? Just speculation...
A Good Troll is better than a Bad Human.
Nintendo was initially planning to have an online service with the Gamecube that rivaled XBox Live but it got scrapped because of how unpopular the online services that the Dreamcast had were; if you look at how successful Microsoft was with XBox Live you can see how Nintendo was (probably) correct (in a buisness sence) in not including a similar product on the Gamecube. Ultimately Gamespy predates any patents I have heard of that deal with centralized online services so this really just demonstrates how broken our patent system is; I wonder if I can get a patent on selling the sexual services of women on the street?
Man I used to fly in Warbirds online in the 90's and im all the other pilots all the time.
geopilot
http://www.globalboiling.com/
On screen keyboard, maybe? The point-and-click interface would support that. USB keyboard? It does have at least one USB port in the back. Maybe they'll license the Graffiti algorithms and recognize certain gestures with the wand as letters. They have been talking to Palm in the past, if I'm not mistaken.
It's like sex, except I'm having it!
From the summary: ... Nintendo's patent is relatively broad and could potentially lead to litigation... Although the text of the patent itself refers to the Nintendo64 and Game Boy Color by name...
So it applies specifically to the N64 and Game Boy Color... but it could lead to litigation?
Can someone explain to me how this isn't just Ars Technica stirring the pot?
I got my Linux laptop at System76.
Seems like this was meant for the failed 64DD network. While it's tough to say whether or not they will apply it to the Wii (the 64DD was going to offer NES games for download). Current rumblings from Nintendo seem to indicate the Wii online service will be more like the DS's, per game friend codes and no unified system. On the other hand, they have registered a bunch of Wii domains that could be the basis for some sort of online community.
Since the Wii will have two USB ports, what makes you think you won't be able to plug in a USB keyboard, or that there won't be a custom keyboard released at some point?
Personally, I wouldn't be suprised if things involved the DS connectivity at some point as well, maybe letting you use the DS touchscreen along with handwriting recognition to enter text.
"Some have speculated that this patent could portend an instant messaging system for the Wii."
Remember the whole Connect24 thing? Part of the announcement said that you could start up your console after it was sleeping, and you'd see the messages and gifts (ie. files) from friends which were sent to you while you were away.
Phsycho_gamer says: 'Sup man?
...
WiiMan says: Gimme a sec. Lemme toss bowser at the last mine.
WiiMan says: Bummer dude. He got me. Looks like no goodnight kiss tonight.
Phsyco_gamer says: Yeah man. That Peach is hot. Wanna play Super Smash Bros. Brawl now?
Where are all the mod points when you *really* need them??!!
The patent is way more limited that discussed in the summary or the linked article. The scope of a patent is determined by its claims and the broadest claim of the issued patent is directed at an IM system that allows users to check on the game status of their buddies through an IM client:
1. A messaging system comprising: a web server computer; and a video game system for executing a video game program for a video game, the video game program being embodied on a storage device replaceably connectable by a user to the video game system and comprising program instructions for both the video game and for a messaging service client, whereby the messaging service client is activated by connecting the storage device to the video game system and executing the video game program embodied thereon, the activated messaging service client establishing a connection between the video game system and said web server computer via the Internet and sending status data from the video game system to said web server computer that is indicative of the video game program being executed by the video game system, wherein said web server computer generates a session file when the video game system connects thereto, the session file comprising the status data sent from the video game system and status data indicative of video game programs being executed by video game systems of each of one or more buddies identified on a buddy list previously defined by the user, wherein the status data of the one or more buddies on the buddy list is accessible to the user even if the video game system of the user and the video game systems of the one or more buddies are executing video game programs for playing different games.
If it was filed in 2000, why haven't they done anything with it?
They mentioned the GBC and N64 by name, yet I can't see any way this would be helpful for those systems...
If they were going to use this for the Wii, how would they use it? There's probably no text interface, so could it mean voice? Voice coordination is much better than text, too--to use Halo as a example, try flying a Banshee or driving a Warthog into your opponent's base and simultaneously communicate. It doesn't work.
Actually, online gaming for the PSP follows the same model, although that obviously doesn't qualify as "prior art".
Clear, Dark Skies
For some of the nitty gritty first, they filed a provisional application on May 31, 2000, which means they have priority to this date. It is also important to remember with the current patent laws in the US the system is based on a first to invent, which means any prior art could have to pre-date the May 31, 2000 date as well.
I have one grand problem with the arstechnica article. It is in the very end, where the author says:
Unfortunately, this does not fly in any countries patent system. This argument is good for trade secrets, where independently inventing a similar or the same item is okay. In patents, whether or not someone invented something similar while you were waiting for you patent is immaterial. Also, the application would've been published no later then May or so of 2002, meaning any technology after that date could easily see the claims and know what Nintendo was seeking a patent for.
I seriously doubt Nintendo will go sue happy with this, but they may hold onto it just in case their console market goes south like Sega's did. Remember, they wouldn't really be trolling if they actually did make a real attempt to implement a system using the patent they received.
"Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb."
This patent simply means that Nintendo will absolutely purchase AOL. After Nintendo is purchased by Apple.
Those who believe the Internet is private,
find their privates are on the Internet.
The Xbox360 has 2 USB ports, can you just hook a keyboard up to it?
I am being serious, I just want to know.
The instant messaging patent was for the N64.
It tells us nothing about what they plan to do with the Wii.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Yes the latest update was supposed to add support for USB keyboards to make typing a little less a pain in the ass.
OK not quite but they did have a modem and I think peer-to-peer playing on a very limited basis. I think it was a marketing flop.
Any "instant messaging" patent that post-dates the 1960s deserves a good prior art search.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
Games are displayed on the 'buddy list', MSN Messenger already do this.
A better analogy might be this: You find out that the hungarian army has weapons.
Holy crud! The Hungarian army has weapons? They could use those weapons to kill us!
Except wait, a couple of questions immediately come to mind.
- Wait, what kind of weapons? Are they guns? Pitchforks? Atom bombs? Stun tasers? Are these even the kind of weapons that you could kill somebody with?
- Wait, why is this a surprise? Wouldn't one assume the Hungarian army has weapons? I mean, having weapons is kind of something that armies tend to do.
- Why exactly do we think the Hungarian army is going to do anything with these weapons? Has Hungary even done anything in the last 50 years? Don't they just kind of sit around and like... I don't know, drink beer or whatever it is Hungarians do?
Now, there are circumstances where finding out about somebody having weapons might be worrisome, depending on who they were and what kind of weapons they were. Like, if it was your neighbor, and he had a bomb, that would be awfully worrisome-- because bombs are uncommon in residential areas, there's no valid reason why your neighbor might have a bomb, and you have no particular reason to expect your neighbor would randomly stockpile bombs but never use them. And if was Iran, and they had a nuclear weapon, then that would be a good reason to be downright alarmed.But the Hungarian army having stun tazers? Wait, why is this supposed to be interesting again? Similarly, why should it make a difference that Nintendo (a company with no history of patent abuse or even patent enforcement really) obtained a specific patent on a specific instant messaging system that they designed for a product six years ago and then never sold?
The Hungarian army stockpiles weapons but never does anything with them. Nintendo stockpiles patents but never does anything with them. The world is a dangerous place but we survive anyway. Deal.
I think this is a GREAT idea and it will go ahead very fast!
Talk later, Holmesey For free Domain names, PSP's & I-Pod's click