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Patent trolls are shaking us down for selling “rubies” in our game

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Re: Patent trolls are shaking us down for selling “rubies” in our game

#41

Post by chapill »

sli wrote: post #4

Pretty obvious patent trolling if they're only going for this rather smalltime developer and none of the high profile F2P game developers and big time game developers releasing AAA games with a premium currency.

>Pretty obvious patent trolling

Not really. The patent was filed in 2000. Approved in 2007. It hasn't changed hands. The company makes software.

Believe it or not, this is the US system working as intended.

An obvious troll is a patent holding company, with no products, who purchases old patents, then goes on a suing spree for any company that uses printers.

Re: Patent trolls are shaking us down for selling “rubies” in our game

#43

Post by matttah »

scarmig wrote: post #14
jannotti wrote: post #2

Trying to find other companies under the same threat is a great approach. In a similar situation, this allowed my company to fight a patent troll and share costs, so we didn't cave under the, "It'll cost us this much in legal fees anyway" argument.

There should be some kind of patent troll clearinghouse. Companies can check it to see if other companies are reporting the same shakedown tactics for a given patent. Though, could a patent troll could get around that by spacing out the trolling? So by the time any company finds another company that's been trolled, they've already paid it up and don't have as much incentive to fight the patent troll after the fact. T…

That's a great idea...perhaps a quick weekend project there we'll talk on!

Re: Patent trolls are shaking us down for selling “rubies” in our game

#44

Post by DenisM »

Kelbit wrote: post #8
jannotti wrote: post #2

Trying to find other companies under the same threat is a great approach. In a similar situation, this allowed my company to fight a patent troll and share costs, so we didn't cave under the, "It'll cost us this much in legal fees anyway" argument.

While it doesn't help in this case (since there is already a looming legal threat from an NPE), you can buy patent troll insurance now: https://www.rpxcorp.com/ . This covers your legal fees in the event of litigation, which can scare off a patent troll who just wants a hit-and-run settlement.

Do you know what's the ballpark cost by any chance?

Re: Patent trolls are shaking us down for selling “rubies” in our game

#45

Post by chapill »

ericd wrote: post #39
chapill wrote: post #27

This is hating the player, not the game. The only way to win is not to play. Relocate to a country with no software patents. I hear Estonia is great. Do all your filing online. Be a remote working foreign contractor for your own company :P

Moving to Estonia just to avoid software patent trolls is an extreme case of letting the tail wag the dog.

50% of the companies in the US incorporate in Delaware. Is that also tail wagging the dog?

https://www.delawareinc.com/corporation/

Re: Patent trolls are shaking us down for selling “rubies” in our game

#47

Post by kelnos »

Kelbit wrote: post #8
jannotti wrote: post #2

Trying to find other companies under the same threat is a great approach. In a similar situation, this allowed my company to fight a patent troll and share costs, so we didn't cave under the, "It'll cost us this much in legal fees anyway" argument.

While it doesn't help in this case (since there is already a looming legal threat from an NPE), you can buy patent troll insurance now: https://www.rpxcorp.com/ . This covers your legal fees in the event of litigation, which can scare off a patent troll who just wants a hit-and-run settlement.

It is ridiculously disheartening that this sort of thing even has to exist.

It's just taking the money you'd be forced to pay some exploitative patent troll, and giving it (well, probably/hopefully less of it, but still) to an exploitative insurance firm instead.

Re: Patent trolls are shaking us down for selling “rubies” in our game

#48

Post by deeg »

PhasmaFelis wrote: post #24
scarmig wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There should be some kind of patent troll clearinghouse. Companies can check it to see if other companies are reporting the same shakedown tactics for a given patent. Though, could a patent troll could get around that by spacing out the trolling? So by the time any company finds another company that's been trolled, they've already paid it up and don't have as much incentive to fight the patent troll after the fact. T…

> Though, could a patent troll could get around that by spacing out the trolling? So by the time any company finds another company that's been trolled, they've already paid it up and don't have as much incentive to fight the patent troll after the fact. That's still a minor win, since it mitigates the amount of damage the trolls can do per unit time.

According to the OA there's only two years left on the patent. Spacing them out would at least limit the number of small companies targeted.

Re: Patent trolls are shaking us down for selling “rubies” in our game

#50

Post by viraptor »

AnimalMuppet wrote: post #33
viraptor wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're still selling to the US, I don't think this would protect you. Your product can be banned anyway.

Your product could be banned, but the sue-er would never collect any money. So, if the sue-er is a patent troll, why would they bother? They don't care about banning competition. They'd burn a lot of money on lawyers for zero income. That's not a fight that they want to pick.

Their gain would be a chance that you pay the fees. Because outside of specific local markets, no small game producer could afford dropping the US market (and possibly US-based delivery systems like Steam, Play, and AppStore) and succeed.
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