[casual_games] Gameplay patents

[John Viguerie]

Quite an interesting thread...

I like the one from [adult swim].  I wonder how the
TimeWarner legal dept feels about it?  Nevermind, I
think I know... just try to submit a game idea without
signing a Product Submission Agreeement.

Remember - post-facto, great ideas seem obvious.

If your idea is good enough to be "theft worthy", i.e.
its a truly innovative key piece of a future "hit", a
big company with a legal department and market power
is the prime candidate to wipe you out with your own
secret weapon.

I just dropped off a sixty-one page game technical
design document to my patent attorney yesterday - not
a single line of code - not a single pixel or vector
or even a formal graphic design treatment has been
performed... yet.  Its just a much better conversation
with publishers/distributors/investors when your ducks
are in a row.

Nobody cares about misses, but hits will spawn a
thousand copycats.

If you don't have a patent attorney, make friends with
one.  The ones I know work on stuff that is so
unbelieveably tedious and boring that they're happy to
READ A WELL CONSTRUCTED GAME DESIGN DOCUMENT for you
and offer a non-binding opinion before spending money
authoring foolish claims.

Admittedly, because of my licensed software and music
entertainment background, I think patents, copyrights
and trademarks "make the world go 'round."  The EFF is
not buttering MY bread.  There's a great book on the
subject by Pat Choate called "Hot Property: The
Stealing of Ideas in the Age of Globalization".

Don't get ripped-off.  It's a bitter pill to swallow
when it happens, and it happens plenty.

John Viguerie
Character Media







--- Milt Michael <miltmich at telus.net> wrote:


> Ron,

> 

> My purpose for patenting is to add value for

> investors. 

> 

> I don't see how it stifles creativity (other than

> the time it takes), in

> fact the process of explaining how your game is an

> improvement over previous

> games is a good exercise.

> 

> I just hope the lawyers don't make more money than

> developers :)

> 

> Milt

> 

> 

> 

> -----Original Message-----

> From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org

> [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org]

> On Behalf Of Ron

> Sent: Friday, February 09, 2007 2:46 PM

> To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List

> Subject: Re: [casual_games] Gameplay patents

> 

> I think game play patents will be the death of

> creativity.  Are you 

> going to start suing members of this list?  I know

> that comment sounds 

> flippant, but it's a serious one that you should be

> prepared to answer 

> and feel OK about.

> 

> Ron

> 

> 

> Milt Michael wrote:

> > Although I'm no expert on patents, I am going

> forward with a patent

> > application for my game because I feel it contains

> new processes and

> > formulas that improve gameplay.

> > 

> > I'd sure like to hear from others who have gone

> down this road though!

> > 

> > Milt

> > 

> > -----Original Message-----

> > From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org

> [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org]

> > On Behalf Of Jose Marin

> > Sent: Friday, February 09, 2007 7:24 AM

> > To: casual_games at igda.org

> > Subject: [casual_games] Gameplay patents

> > 

> > Hi.

> > 

> > I've seen several games that have the same

> gameplay (almost clones).

> > 

> > Is there "patents" on gameplay?

> > 

> > Or on some game mechanism/interface?

> > 

> > My concern is because we are about to launch a

> game that its gameplay

> looks

> > very much to a classic, but have many more

> features.

> > 

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