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Firm Sues Sony Over Cell Processor
An anonymous reader writes that earlier this month, Sony received word of a lawsuit from a Newport Beach company called Parallel Processing. They've filed against the electronics giant alleging that the Cell processor, used in the PlayStation 3, infringes on a patent they own. They've made the somewhat outrageous demand that every infringing chip (and console) be 'impounded and destroyed'. From the article at Next Generation: "The patent, 'Synchronized Parallel Processing with Shared Memory' was issued in October 1991. It describes a high-speed computer that breaks down a program 'into smaller concurrent processes running in different parallel processors' and resynchronizes the program for faster processing times ... Parallel Processing said that Sony's alleged actions have caused 'irreparable harm and monetary damage' to the company."
... Parallel Processing receives an undisclosed amount of cash from MS.
Thanks god IBM quit building those RS/6000 SP2 system parallel thingies.
Yes, let's all stroke ours Wiis over this news.
An errant Sony Jet has crashed into the HQ for Newport Beach based company Parallel Processing resulting in a 150 foot fireball.
... die by the sword.
... unreasonable patent claims.
... tomato (hmmm ... that doesn't work very well in writing)
unreasonable copyright claims
tomato
This could be good business for the Smash My PS3 folks.
Do you really think people are going to volunteer to have their PS3 destroyed because you patented the computer processing version of the assembly line?
Yes. That's why we heard people are installing, uninstalling and reinstalling Windows all the times. Now we know it's not because it is unstable.
Virtual Betting on Facebook for non-geeks.
Dear brain processor dude: this is God. Cease and desist. I own the patent on brains. Have a nice day.
u-bend
I believe your patent, filed in 4004BC, expired 5991 years ago.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
That's okay, Parallel Processing could only have found out about the patent infringement by violation of the DMCA and illegal hacking of Sonys PS3 - so they'll be going to jail for a long time.
More to the point, can we ensure that those who modded this up never get mod points again ?
They can have my PS3 when they pry it from my cold, dead, hands!
but the copyright for the software running the brain (the trully interesting stuff) is still in effect - remember liftime of author + 70 years.
How about this: Let's just award them the full profits Sony's realized from the PS3 up through the date of the lawsuit.
Every penny.
I think this would be an eminently fair solution, and I'm confident Sony would accept it.
My blog: http://www.seebs.net/log/ --- My iPhone/iPad app: http://www.seebs.net/seebsfrac/
If only there were some way of modding the modders...it'd be like moderation, only meta.
One rule of suits: Demand the moon, negotiate for the sky, but be willing to accept the ground.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
Fine. But we're not helping you find either of the two we sold.
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
Actually, if they were successful at generating an order for PS3s to be impounded and destroyed, it might create a pretty high demand for people to go buy them, just for the purpose of resisting whatever authority might try to do so. I sure would, it'd be fun.
The copyright expired in 1952, seven decades after Nietzsche pronounced God dead in 1882. The first commercially sold computer, UNIVAC I, was also delivered in 1952. Coincidence? I think not.
2 Peter 3:8 says, "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." I'm sure He opts for "a thousand years are like a day", so he's had the patent just over 6 days. He still has a LONG time left on His patent!
Yes, it does seem they make "Patent Lawsuit Cases"