Microsoft and Motorola have been continuing to trade legal blows over the last few months, and Microsoft recently scored a victory in the long-running patent war. The International Trade Commission ruled yesterday that the Xbox did not violate Motorola's wireless communications patent.
The storied saga of 38 Studios' closure seems all but finished, with only a few loose threads left to tie up. One of those is what the state of Rhode Island will do with its stake in the properties, and the state is now reportedly planning to sell off the Amalur franchise. An attorney says that Rhode Island has found an interested party.
A California federal judge has denied an attempt by Electronic Arts to dismiss a breach of contract lawsuit brought by a former employee involving the creation of the Madden NFL franchise. The case will proceed to trial on June 17.
The collapse of 38 Studios has put the state of Rhode Island in a precarious position. The government offered substantial loans to Curt Schilling's company. Following its bankruptcy, fingers were pointed: who's to blame?
A lengthy feature on The New York Times details the rise and fall of 38 Studios, and how both parties involved bit off more than they could chew. Schilling didn't properly anticipate the challenges of game development, let alone MMORPG creation. Rhode Island, eager to reinvigorate its economy with tech jobs, dove head-first into an investment that had "red flags" from the get-go.
Edge Games CEO Tim Langdell's hold on the Edge name is no more. A California Court of Appeals has ruled the trademark should be canceled, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has complied.
The USPTO notice (via Polygon) cancels five trademarks with various versions of "Edge" in them that Langdell had used to sue games that attempted to use Edge in the title. He attempted to sue Electronic Arts over the game Mirror's Edge; EA fought back.
Section 8 developer TimeGate Studios thought it was off the hook for a $7.35 million arbitration ruling when it won its appeal last year over a dispute with Southpeak Interactive surrounding the game. Unfortunately for TimeGate, that ruling has been overturned.
THQ's demise was not something that happened because of bad luck or a changing marketplace, but more a result of a "sea of bad decisions," with the uDraw tablet at or near the top of the list, according to company president Jason Rubin.
As the political dialogue on video game violence continues in the wake of the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, state representatives are starting to propose and draft legislation that would place restrictions on the game industry. One proposal would tax violent video games, while a drafted House bill would ban the sale of Adults Only or Mature-rated games to minors.
Actor Jerry Lambert, who played Kevin Butler in a popular run of PlayStation advertisements, has settled the breach of contract suit brought against him by Sony for appearing in a Bridgestone tires ad that promoted the Wii. Per the terms of the settlement, you won't see Lambert promoting anything video game related for a few years.
Following Vice President Biden's round of meetings with various industries, President Obama has unveiled his list of proposals for legislation and executive orders to curb gun violence. Among them is an order for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to research the causes of gun violence, including violent media and video games.
Following the tragic shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, America was hungry for answers. Politicians began seeking ways to stem the violence in our country, and President Obama charged Vice President Biden to head up the effort. Biden promptly organized meetings with various industries and interest groups, including prominent figures from the video game industry.
Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar, the Bohemia Interactive developers who arrested on charges of espionage in September, have been released on bail. The two are now free to return to their homes in the Czech Republic, after Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras got in contact with Czech PM Petr Necas.
Following a shooting in Connecticut that left the country seeking answers, the National Rifle Association (NRA) cited media violence, and more specifically video game violence, as a part of the problem. Vice President Joe Biden has been talking to various industry groups, including the NRA, movie and television industries, and retailers. On Friday it was the game industry's turn, and the VP said he came to the meeting without preconceptions or accusations.
Motorola's bid to ban Xbox 360 sales in the US due to a patent dispute has failed, after a judge ruled that the the patents in question were critical to industry standards. Federal Judge James Robart found that Motorola's patents must offer fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory licenses. Because of that, he ruled that a console ban could not be imposed.
When your games are purchased by millions of people, you are bound to have some dissatisfied customers, some even willing to take you to court. Blizzard is staring down a class action suit that accuses the company of herding players to buy Battle.net authenticators instead of doing a better job of securing player information. The authenticators have brought in $26 million, according to the complaint.
"Pretty happy that Google is losing all of these patent cases. It was a tad bit hypocritical to ..."
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