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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."
If you read the TFA it would point out that this is geared toward an integrated messaging/email/game_status system with a serious gaming bent.
It's also specifically geared for consoles, so even stuff like X-fire wouldn't fall under it.
X-box live is really the only similar thing, and the patent was actually filed for 2 years before Live's official release.
Finally, when has the US Patent Office really cared about prior art?
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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?
The actual patent claims don't mention the systems by name, but the background info uses the systems as examples of systems the technology might be used in. The patent is for anything, not just those two systems.
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.
Companies like Valve have used instant messenger in their games (Steam --> Friends)
According to the summary the Nintendo patient was filed in 2000. The first public release of Steam was in 2002. I'm not sure exactly when messaging was added to steam, but it wasn't in the first release, so that is over two years between Nintendo's patient and Valve having such a feature (at least claiming to have such a feature, I sure as hell have never gotten it to work).
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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.
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If I were them, I would use it to trade rights with MS, as MS recently obtained a patent on filtering voice chat to bleep out unwanted terms. Nintendo being family oriented (and the Wii almost certainly deploying some type of voice chat--as well as the DS at some point in the future) the rights to implement similar technology is invaluable to Nintendo. They should just make an agreement with MS to not sue each other over their respective patents in this area (and then they can both sue Sony when Sony implements the same thing). As a side note, X-fire wouldn't be threatened by the patent as X-fire is not for video game consoles, just PCs.
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Yes the latest update was supposed to add support for USB keyboards to make typing a little less a pain in the ass.