[casual_games] Gameplay patents

[Hal Barwood]

Have you noticed?  Patents are a game.

Jason Van Anden wrote:

> It sounds to me like you suggesting that if someone has gone to the  

> trouble and expense of legally protecting their intellectual  

> property,  you would decide to violate this right based solely on  

> whether you had more resources than your competitor.  It seems to me  

> that this is morally and ethically perverse, and ought to be  

> discouraged more so than patents themselves.  Does anyone (else) out  

> there feel that (reasonable) patents are a good thing - or is  

> "patents == bad" the general consensus of the casual games community?

> 

> 

> On Feb 11, 2007, at 7:11 AM, Jonas Beckeman wrote:

> 

>> The substantial amount of time and money to get the patent approved is

>> *nothing* compared to what it will take to defend it.

>> The patent itself doesn't really give any protection, only when  

>> tried in

>> court will you know if it's solid. It probably isn't (although your  

>> lawyer

>> will work very, very hard to write a specification that is  

>> impossible to

>> interpret), and then you'll only be left with a huge pile of lawyer  

>> bills.

>>

>> But it's true some investors like software patents, however ridiculous

>> they may be - it looks good on paper and adds a whiff of the "serious"

>> research-intense industries.

>>

>> If I feel like infringing on your patent, I will assess your financial

>> status and if I think I have more resources than you, I'll simply  

>> ignore

>> it. With more money, I'll wear you out in court, if it comes to that.

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