US Government Investigating Blu-Ray

[Phades]

Just when it seems Sony's fortunes with Blu-Ray are turning around, along comes another patent infringement case. Here's the story courtesy of Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6188182.html?part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6188182).

The US International Trade Commission said this week that it will be launching a patent infringement investigation of "certain short-wavelength light emitting diodes, laser diodes, and products containing same." Parties named in the investigation include Blu-ray creator Sony, along with 30 other top electronics manufactures, including Nokia, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba, Pioneer, and Hitachi. .

Can we possibly have enough of these damn things??

[DarkDaY]

Grrrr, you made me go to gamespot...

I can't imagine anything coming from this, other than a big payday for someone if she is wins.

[Heretic Machine]

I'm not going to tell the editors how to do their jobs here, but over the past year this is the conclusion I've come to when it comes to these patent lawsuits: Patent lawsuits are so incredibly common and ridiculous that they are not news worthy. It seems like we get at least one new patent lawsuit a week around here, and how many have we seen resolved? The Immersion suit is the only one I can think of.

[Exodus]

I'm not going to tell the editors how to do their jobs here, but over the past year this is the conclusion I've come to when it comes to these patent lawsuits: Patent lawsuits are so incredibly common and ridiculous that they are not news worthy. It seems like we get at least one new patent lawsuit a week around here, and how many have we seen resolved? The Immersion suit is the only one I can think of.

Well, someone's upset that a slot was taken up on their rss feed.

Editors this man is unhappy!

Conclusion:

Who the fuck cares.

[Rirath]

Who the fuck cares.

I do. Geesh, the man makes a polite, constructive criticism and you jump down his throat.
He simply voiced his opinion.

[Baron Samedi]

This is also from Gamestop, who I last heard, torpedoed their last shred of credibility last year.

Seems a little late for lawsut. Where was this two years ago?

[Pluvious]

Here's the info from Engadget.. where the 'real' story broke. (Edit: well.. i meant you don't have goto Gamespot.. shudder) It's not just blu-ray.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/21/little-old-lady-to-take-down-sony-samsung-nokia-and-everyone-e/

[pirateTITAN]

Just when it seems Sony's fortunes with Blu-Ray are turning around, along comes another patent infringement case. Here's the story courtesy of Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6188182.html?part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6188182).



Can we possibly have enough of these damn things??

Uhh...yeah...GameSpot is just being really, really sensationalist. It's not just Blu-Ray, it's essentially everything that uses the (what I assume) is the blue laser diode.

*edit:

In other words, her case has legs. Still, we have very little confidence in the ITC's grasp of the matter when they name "HD DVD players (e.g., Blu-ray disc players)" as products to be probed. Full list of companies named in the complaint after the break.


Really now?! The International Trade Commission listed Blu-ray players as an example of HD-DVD players?

[darklordjames]

"I'm not going to tell the editors how to do their jobs here, but over the past year this is the conclusion I've come to when it comes to these patent lawsuits: Patent lawsuits are so incredibly common and ridiculous that they are not news worthy. It seems like we get at least one new patent lawsuit a week around here, and how many have we seen resolved? The Immersion suit is the only one I can think of."

This man has an excellent point. Really, unless the result is something as dastardly underhanded as the Creative/Doom3 patent fiasco, or as amazingly retarded as today's Gibson/retailers suit, I don't see how a patent lawsuit qualifies as news. Really, who the fuck cares about some whiny bitch suing guys over diodes? It's even less newsworthy when we get the normal megacorp suing some other megacorp over some obscure patent that is only mildly related to gaming.

[Exodus]

I do. Geesh, the man makes a polite, constructive criticism and you jump down his throat.
He simply voiced his opinion.

I don't think you followed me right there.. i was agreeing with him..
I'm summarizing what he said into 4 words. Who the fuck cares...

my opinion?

sony and us gov't should play smash bros brawl

[Phades]

It's true Sony isn't the only one named, but should this go far they stand the most to lose it seems. Of course, it's likely nothing will come with it but a nice check for the idiot who is sueing.

[Orphiuchus]

Anything that hurts sony I'm happy with. I'm still mad over what they did to my dreamcast.

Now I know that chances are this is nothing to them, but I can dream can't I?

[Mathilda]

Gertrude Neumark Rothschild? Is she related to the banking family? Funny how all the companies are private asian owned companies.

[Chainblast]

Greeeeed... What?

[Exodus]

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/21/little-old-lady-to-take-down-sony-samsung-nokia-and-everyone-e/

interesting none the less

[Loganrapp]

I don't think you followed me right there.. i was agreeing with him..
I'm summarizing what he said into 4 words. Who the fuck cares...


Well, you wrote it pretty ambiguously, because I was thinking the same thing.

[Exodus]

Well, you wrote it pretty ambiguously, because I was thinking the same thing.

lol just being overly dramatic, apologies to all i was messing with both sides him and the editors

and it hasn't turned into a flaming, the EA overseers approve all news posts blah blah blah and we believe this was news worthy post and someone saying well we believe you suck

i prefer it this way, flame free

[DangerousDaze]

It's true Sony isn't the only one named, but should this go far they stand the most to lose it seems. Of course, it's likely nothing will come with it but a nice check for the idiot who is sueing.

The "idiot" who is suing was granted the sole patent for producing gallium nitride-based semiconductors for LEDs and laser diodes after conducting ground-breaking research fifteen years ago. There would be no Blu-Ray without her work.

Still, the timing is suspicious.

[Worldcrafter]

Seems a little late for lawsuit. Where was this two years ago?
Note the Gibson suit mentioned further down the front page. These patent suits always wait until the "infringing" party has made a bundle of cash.

[Sazime]

Gertrude Neumark Rothschild? Is she related to the banking family? Funny how all the companies are private asian owned companies.
I was gonna say, didn't anyone else notice this? Shit, maybe they are the Illuminati...

[jpublic]

Yeah, the timing is suspicious for sure from our standpoint, but I suspect the previous lawsuit with Phillips was the reason - once they won (settled) that one, they knew they had legs to go after everyone else.

I strongly doubt this will be a cease order. Probably a minor royalty for each laser.

[violentp]

What's a geesh?

[Sazime]

What's a geesh?
Sound it out, yeah, gee, followed by the "eesh." Yeah, there ya are. Got it now?

[MrE]

Depends if they are found to be in violation, though Phillips had a similar suit that was settled "privately" meaning, someone got paid. Sony could claim that they licensed the technology from Phillips but I don't think that covers against this kinds of litigation.

[aries100]

The big thing to me is that once again the US lawyers try to push forward the US idea of copyright infringement which I only thinks exists in US Law? I certainly have not heard about it in Danish law or laws in other European countries. As always, I could be wrong...

However, it is clear to me that if mrs. Rothschild actually invented a method to spark? (sorry don't know the etch term for it) LEDs, and then patented it, yes, then she would be viable? (is that the correct for word to use?) to get some economic compensation.

However, Sony's Blu-Ray disc could make use of a totally different method of sparking? LEDs blue light alltogether...

Her work was done 15-20 years ago, groundbreaking basic research as it was at that time. If she gets away with this, I certainly hope that every researcher in state & private institutions that ever researched in how to use (fluent) crystals as a carrier for tv-signals or just how crystals behaved in different environments also sue the same companies. I mean - without their groundbreaking research we wouldn't be here today, having LCD screens...

[Micasa]

Really now?! The International Trade Commission listed Blu-ray players as an example of HD-DVD players?

Well a BR player IS an example of an HD-DVD player. It's not an HD DVD player, however.

English is confusing.