For those of you who need the backstory, read this story I wrote on Friday:
http://biz.gamedaily.com/features.asp?article_id=8236§ion=feature&email=
Cliffnotes of that story: There's a lawfirm that sued 12 major game publishers, saying that they were in violation of their patent. The patent was for a specific method of displaying 3D images on a screen. They're financing this litigation by sending threatening letters to virtually EVERY minor publisher that exists. Those minor ones settle for a little money and then the firm uses that to go after the big money from the big pubs.
Ok, so enough with the backstory. Today I get a letter from a PC manufacturer who read my story.
Apparently McKool Smith ALSO has sued NINETEEN major PC hardware manufacturers. Basically they're saying that anyone who makes a graphic card capable of displaying 3D images and then puts it in a windows box is violating their patent. Companies listed include HP, Dell, Gateway, IBM, Toshiba, Sony, Acer, Matsushita, JVC, Polywell, and more.
Once again, they're financing this major litigation by sending threatening letters to minor hardware companies. What happens is it's much cheaper for these companies to settle with the patent holder, even when they know they're right and would win the case. It's often more money to win than to settle, so that's how these people running the patent shakedowns make their money.
When you enter into an agreement to pay a patent holder 75 cents (or whatever) for every machine you sell that includes a DVD drive (or whatever tech. supposedly violated their patent), an NDA comes tacked along with the settlement. That means that these companies can't even tell anyone who is sucking money from them through uncrupulous means.
I wonder how deep this all goes. All publishers sued, all hardware manufacturers sued...
http://biz.gamedaily.com/features.asp?article_id=8236§ion=feature&email=
Cliffnotes of that story: There's a lawfirm that sued 12 major game publishers, saying that they were in violation of their patent. The patent was for a specific method of displaying 3D images on a screen. They're financing this litigation by sending threatening letters to virtually EVERY minor publisher that exists. Those minor ones settle for a little money and then the firm uses that to go after the big money from the big pubs.
Ok, so enough with the backstory. Today I get a letter from a PC manufacturer who read my story.
Apparently McKool Smith ALSO has sued NINETEEN major PC hardware manufacturers. Basically they're saying that anyone who makes a graphic card capable of displaying 3D images and then puts it in a windows box is violating their patent. Companies listed include HP, Dell, Gateway, IBM, Toshiba, Sony, Acer, Matsushita, JVC, Polywell, and more.
Once again, they're financing this major litigation by sending threatening letters to minor hardware companies. What happens is it's much cheaper for these companies to settle with the patent holder, even when they know they're right and would win the case. It's often more money to win than to settle, so that's how these people running the patent shakedowns make their money.
When you enter into an agreement to pay a patent holder 75 cents (or whatever) for every machine you sell that includes a DVD drive (or whatever tech. supposedly violated their patent), an NDA comes tacked along with the settlement. That means that these companies can't even tell anyone who is sucking money from them through uncrupulous means.
I wonder how deep this all goes. All publishers sued, all hardware manufacturers sued...
