World of Warcraft patent infringement case set for hearing in 2013

While the lawsuits that have been grabbing the headlines recently have been between Apple and Samsung, here’s one that might impact those of you who play Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, and possibly any other MMO in the future. According to US District Judge Denise J. Casper, the patent infringement lawsuit filed by Worlds Inc. against Activision Blizzard will be going to court in 2013. For those unfamiliar, Worlds Inc. has accused Activision Blizzard of infringing upon its patents in the World of Warcraft game.

The patent in question has been described as a “System and Method for Enabling Users to Interact in a Virtual Space”, which let’s be honest, is pretty much the core of every MMO out there. If Worlds Inc. is successful in their lawsuit, it would most definitely set a precedent for all current and future MMOs out there. According to Worlds Inc. CEO Thom Kidrin:

“Technologies created by Worlds have helped the businesses of virtual worlds gaming and the sale of virtual goods to grow into a multi-billion dollar industry

[…]

While we are pleased to see that the gaming industry and its rapidly growing customer base have enthusiastically embraced our patented technologies, we deserve fair compensation for their use.”

With the hearing date set for the 27^th of June, we guess we still have a while to wait but if this is of interest to you, check back with us regularly for more updates on the situation!

Tyler Lee
Categories: Gaming
Tags: activision blizzard, Legal, World of Warcraft