Uniloc
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Apple patent troll strikes again with FaceTime lawsuit
For such a genial component of Apple's ecosystem, FaceTime certainly attracts a lot of lawsuits from interested bodies. The latest is from Uniloc, a company with a collection of patents, a hotline to its lawyers and very little else. AppleInsider is reporting that the patent troll has filed a request for a jury trial, accusing Apple of infringing its intellectual property.
One of the most profitable patent trolls has been defanged
Uniloc, perhaps best known as Patent Troll in Chief, suffered a pretty devastating blow today. The company has long asserted that its "software activation" patent that's beguiled everyone from Microsoft (to the tune of $388 million) to Electronic Arts gives it clearance to sue just about anyone who uses a form of online authentication for software. Until now, according to the Kansas City Business Journal. The Patent Trademark and Appeals Board has ruled that Uniloc's patent number 5,490,216 is invalid via an inter partes review (IPR). Essentially an IPR is a way for inventors to challenge a patent without getting federal courts involved.
Luxembourg software company suing EA, Square Enix, several others over patent infringement
What do Notch, John Riccitiello, Yoichi Wada, and Phil Larsen all have in common? A likely lacking fondness for Luxembourg-based software company Uniloc, who filed lawsuits against Notch's Mojang, Riccitiello's EA, Wada's Square Enix, and Larsen's Halfbrick recently (among others), contending that all the companies infringe on a networking patent held by Uniloc.The patent, US patent number 6,857,067, says that Uniloc has rights to a "system and method for preventing unauthorized access to electronic data," and Uniloc contends that the aforementioned corporations are infringing on that patent via Android-based games. In the case of EA, it's Bejeweled 2, and in the case of Square Enix, it's Final Fantasy III that's cited – if the game at any time communicates with a centrally owned server to legitimize its license, Uniloc contends that it violates the patent.Uniloc has a history of patent litigation over software. The company sued Microsoft in 2003, eventually winning. It has since filed suit against many, many other software manufacturers for other alleged patent violations.
Uniloc sues Mojang over alleged patent infringement in Android version of 'Mindcraft'
Texas-based tech-patent collector Uniloc has filed suit against Mojang, claiming that the Android version of "Mindcraft," (seriously, that's what it says in the filing), infringes upon Patent #6,857,067, "System and method for preventing unauthorized access to electronic data." Specifically, the filing references claim 107 of the patent, which covers a "Computer code executable on an electronic device to prevent unauthorized access to electronic data stored on the electronic device."Yup, Mindcraft."Unfortunately for them, they're suing us over a software patent. If needed, I will throw piles of money at making sure they don't get a cent," Notch said on Twitter this morning. "Software patents are plain evil. Innovation within software is basically free, and it's growing incredibly rapid. Patents only slow it down."Uniloc is seeking damages compounded by both pre and post-judgment interest, as well as ongoing royalties from Mojang. This should be a good one. [Thanks, Cody!]
PC Alpha Protocol's Uniloc DRM explained
An administrator on the Sega forums has detailed what purchasers of Alpha Protocol on PC can expect from the Uniloc DRM system. With some publishers employing excessive DRM, it's good for PC players to know what they are getting into. Sega details that initial activation of the game will require an internet connection, but after that they should be good to go. Five activations are allowed per license key, with users having the option to deactivate a computer's license if they wish. Most importantly, the DRM will allegedly be removed through a patch 18-24 months after release. PC owners who submit to the DRM can pick up a copy June 1. In tragic irony, those who refuse to submit to any DRM will likely be able to download the game around the same time -- or earlier -- from their favorite torrent site. But don't do that. [Via Big Download]
Alpha Protocol PC to use Uniloc DRM
Is the personal computer your platform of choice when it comes to living out your spy game fantasies? Be forewarned: Sega recently informed Eurogamer that the PC version of its upcoming cloak-and-dagger RPG, Alpha Protocol, would use the Uniloc DRM system. Though not as troublesome as other digital rights management protocols, Uniloc did hinder some players' enjoyment of Football Manager 2009 due to a registration code printing error and a supposed DDoS attack on the authentication servers. Uniloc's corporate site promises their DRM solution is "polite" and "unobtrusive," thwarting would-be pirates "without compromising [your] experience." Unfortunately, we've begun to equate a company's promises about the painlessness of their DRM technologies to proctologists' promises about the painlessness of their procedures. In fact, that might be the most literal analogy we've ever conjured.
