Laminar Research, Creators of X-Plane being Sued by Patent Troll Uniloc - Polidicks

[B][U]Only source on the subject was from the X-Plane devs themselves. [/U][/B] [quote=Laminar Research] [h2]Laminar Research, Creators of X-Plane, Are Being Sued for Patent Infringement[/h2] Here is a [url=http://www.x-plane.com/x-world/lawsuit/what-is-a-patent-troll/]GENERAL description[/url] of the concept of a “Patent Troll.” (I intend this for general information only, and am not trying to accuse any specific party of fitting such a description.) Here are some [url=http://www.x-plane.com/x-world/lawsuit/details/]specific points with regard to Unilocs’ lawsuit[/url] against Laminar Research (my company and sole source of income to me, and my family). Here is what I believe to be the [url=http://www.x-plane.com/x-world/lawsuit/cost/]cost of that suit.[/url] Does Uniloc plan to sue anyone ELSE that sells Android or iOS Apps in the future? Well, at Unilocs’ website, at the time of this writing, lives the text: “In the device recognition space, for example, we believe that we have uncovered a billion dollar market … And it fits our straightforward development model. Look at many ideas. Pick an outstanding one. Patent it. Commercialize it. Reap the rewards.” Google Uniloc, and the people behind it. Do you think that they have a history of contributing work and products to the industry, or suing those that do? Does anyone that is considering making an app for PalmOS, iOS, or Android think that Unilocs’ “billion dollar market” is just Laminar Research? If you want to help me defend against Uniloc, [url=https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=7KJGMEVCVRKH4]click here[/url]. I promise that I will not give them one single penny of your contribution. Every single penny that you donate will be used by me to [B]defend against Uniloc[/B], and if any money is left over after the lawsuit, I will put it towards my next Pet Adoption Center within one week of the lawsuits’ conclusion. [B]I promise you: I will NEVER settle with them.[/B] ([B]Note[/B]: I have enough money to defend thus suit all the way through trial without it being a severe financial hardship, so please do not give if it is a hardship for you. But, if you would like to make a contribution to help with the cause because you want to help stop people like this, then it will surely be appreciated!) When I explained this to my Mom, she listened to my entire speech on Unilocs’ Lawsuit against me, my ideas on patent and litigation reforms, my thoughts on Uniloc and the lawyers representing them, and the total lawsuit cost of over $1,500,000, 3 years of stress to me and my wife, and the possible loss of a grandchild to her, and all she could stammer was “I don’t understand… what did you do that is [B]WRONG?[/B]” All I could really answer was: “Well… I wrote a flight simulator for Android”.[/quote] [url]http://www.x-plane.com/x-world/lawsuit/[/url] [quote=Laminar Research] [h2]Cost of the Uniloc Lawsuit[/h2] [url=http://www.x-plane.com/x-world/lawsuit/]What is the cost of this lawsuit to Laminar Research?[/url] I have spoken to a lawyer about this, and I am told that it will cost me about $1,500,000 (one and a half MILLION dollars) to defend this suit. He also told me that it should take about two to three years to defend. This is more money than I have made selling Android Apps in the first place. Under theses conditions, does it make sense for me to be in business? Does it make sense for me to make a cool little App like X-Plane for Android and release it? Does it make sense for me to do business in the United Sates, where frivolous lawsuits (unlike in other nations) go un-punished? (NOTE: Since I initially wrote this, I have begun a plan to share defense fees amongst the other companies being sued, probably increasing the overall cost of the lawsuit further, but making my defense-cost share only a part of that total… though any jury award against me will be unknown for a few years.) Uniloc demands in it’s suit that I pay them “on-going, post-judgement royalty”, though I promise that they have never written a single line X-Plane source code. They have written NONE of X-Plane, yet they claim that I owe them “on-going, post-judgement royalty”. What ELSE could I do with $1,500,000 and 3 years? Recent projects that have cost me similar time and money have been the [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOLKOxEUJmE]Meyer/Finlay Pet adoption center[/url] (which is getting hundreds, and soon thousands, of animals from the pound adopted) and development of the [url=http://www.x-plane.com/x-world/hardware/seeker-avionics/]Vertical Power VP-400[/url] (which is a display for real airplanes that shows the pilot how he can glide to a safe landing after the engine quits). Future projects I hope to undertake include a high-efficiency rotary engine prototype for experimental aircraft use, an endowment scholarship to my high school, and another pet adoption center. Which of the projects above shall I shelve to pay my defense fees instead? How much TIME is being taken away from improving X-Plane to spend on this lawsuit? How many features and improvements will X-Plane NOT get because of this? What impact is the STRESS of this lawsuit going to have on me? How will that translate into development of X-Plane for my customers? Myself and my wife have a single daughter, and would like a second child, but my wife will not get pregnant while under the threat of losing everything we have to a lawsuit from a company that has contributed nothing to us. Google “effects of stress on the mother on the health of the unborn child” to see why my wife is right. [url=http://www.sharecare.com/question/effects-mother-stress-on-baby]Or just click here[/url]. Is this going to cost me a second child? I KNOW that sounds ridiculous to you, but my wife and I are about 40, the lawsuit should be expected to drag on about 3 years, and my wife will NOT get pregnant when under this kind of stress, due to it’s impact on her unborn child. (And she is right to make this choice). Would we be wise to HAVE a child in 3 years, with my wife moving into her 40′s? It may sound ridiculous to write this, but my wife surely told me, crying, that she cannot have a child while under this pressure, due to the physiological impact that it would have on her child. As I look at this lawsuit and it’s fall-out, and the huge number of lawsuits like this that are filed each year, with a cost to defend them that equals the cost of September 11 every three months, I cannot help but say the same thing to myself over and over and over: “If ONLY people KNEW!”[/quote] [url]http://www.x-plane.com/x-world/lawsuit/cost/[/url] This sucks hard. Reddit is probably working on a kickstarter right now. [url=http://www.uniloc.com/]Uniloc's Website[/url]

I hope he wins and gets the money from the patent troll

Such a strange idea that in the current system, someone can decide to sue you for any reason and it'll cost you money. It's like legal stealing.

Will this count as a precedent case and allow Uniloc to sue anyone using Google's vanilla Android DRM?

[QUOTE=VistaPOWA;37664802]Will this count as a precedent case and allow Uniloc to sue anyone using Google's vanilla Android DRM?[/QUOTE] I hope not.

Holy shit that is a nice flight simulator, 9 dvds wtf

uniloc is the dame people who decided to sue minecraft. in the end the whole patent thing wont really hold up.

God damn, the system needs correction so patent trolls aren't allowed to exist. Sort of a, reality court if one wants to call it that, deciding if something's batshit insane, too damn general or actually applicable.

[QUOTE=SweetSwifter;37664736]Such a strange idea that in the current system, someone can decide to sue you for any reason and it'll cost you money. It's like legal stealing.[/QUOTE] Actually in most cases, if the accuser looses the lawsuit, they often have to reimburse for fair legal costs. Of course the important thing is being able to pay the legal costs at first.

[QUOTE=wraithcat;37665935]Actually in most cases, if the accuser looses the lawsuit, they often have to reimburse for fair legal costs. Of course the important thing is being able to pay the legal costs at first.[/QUOTE] Isn't that their whole scheme, using bogus patents and sue small companies who can't afford the whole legal process?

It's Gabes retarded half brother Ric [img]http://www.uniloc.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ricrichardson.png[/img]

[QUOTE=Orki;37665066]Holy shit that is a nice flight simulator, 9 dvds wtf[/QUOTE] It includes a detailed map of the entire world, but you don't have to install all of it.

Xplane is literally the best flight sim, and Lam. Research is awesome. I hope they win.

[quote]107. …code for verifying the license data stored on the licensing medium by communicating with a registration authority having verification data….[/quote] I know it's been stated in OP, but literally MOTHERFUCKING EVERY GODDAMN MODERN GAME IN EXISTENCE IN THE WORLD TODAY DOES THIS. I want to go to a patent office and punch someone. They shouldn't let this shit slide.

[QUOTE=Dantai;37666128]It's Gabes retarded half brother Ric [img]http://www.uniloc.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ricrichardson.png[/img][/QUOTE] This guy's Australian, and they've done a few interviews/shows on him in the last couple of years. To our media he's the hard done by inventor who was screwed over by Microsoft, which is quite funny. [url]http://www.abc.net.au/austory/content/2007/s2666148.htm[/url] [url]http://www.abc.net.au/austory/content/2012/s3473536.htm[/url] There's probably video somewhere, but that's the transcripts of 2 shows they've done on him.

[QUOTE=VistaPOWA;37664802]Will this count as a precedent case and allow Uniloc to sue anyone using Google's vanilla Android DRM?[/QUOTE] If that were even a remote possibility, I'm sure Google would step in in order to prevent it from happening. You can never have too many lawyers.

[QUOTE=Paradox621;37671394]If that were even a remote possibility, I'm sure Google would step in in order to prevent it from happening. You can never have too many lawyers.[/QUOTE] Pretty sure Google don't give a fuck, They've not stepped in to defend their ecosystem before now as long as they weren't getting directly sued. So what exactly do people expect them to do differently this time?

[QUOTE=TheDecryptor;37670959]This guy's Australian, and they've done a few interviews/shows on him in the last couple of years. To our media he's the hard done by inventor who was screwed over by Microsoft, which is quite funny. [url]http://www.abc.net.au/austory/content/2007/s2666148.htm[/url] [url]http://www.abc.net.au/austory/content/2012/s3473536.htm[/url] There's probably video somewhere, but that's the transcripts of 2 shows they've done on him.[/QUOTE] [URL="http://www.uniloc.com/index.php/intellectual-property"]http://www.uniloc.com/index.php/intellectual-property[/URL] Well he got the pay back from Microsoft it seems: [QUOTE] In 2009 a Federal Court jury in Rhode Island found Microsoft guilty of willful infringement and ordered Microsoft to pay Uniloc $388 Million in damages.[/QUOTE] The patent is really pathetic.. I guess Ric needed more money, had to find a new victim to sue..

[QUOTE=Orki;37665066]Holy shit that is a nice flight simulator, 9 dvds wtf[/QUOTE] Worth the 9cds by the way.

I just went and bought his android port because of this story

so what exactly is the sue over?

[QUOTE=krazipanda;37671714]so what exactly is the sue over?[/QUOTE] Quite literally the ability to verify software licenses through a central server. You know whenever you have to type in the code from the inside of a CD case before you install a game? Pretty much that.

[QUOTE=froztshock;37670659]I know it's been stated in OP, but literally MOTHERFUCKING EVERY GODDAMN MODERN GAME IN EXISTENCE IN THE WORLD TODAY DOES THIS. I want to go to a patent office and punch someone. They shouldn't let this shit slide.[/QUOTE] Didn't Minecraft/Mojang and a bunch of other companies get sued under the same patent just a few weeks ago?

[QUOTE=Starpluck;37671755]Didn't Minecraft/Mojang and a bunch of other companies get sued under the same patent just a few weeks ago?[/QUOTE] I duno. If they did I missed it.

[QUOTE=Starpluck;37671755]Didn't Minecraft/Mojang and a bunch of other companies get sued under the same patent just a few weeks ago?[/QUOTE] [QUOTE]On July 20, 2012, Uniloc filed a lawsuit against Mojang, citing the Minecraft Pocket Edition, incorrectly called "Mindcraft" within the lawsuit documents, as an infringement upon patents that give Uniloc exclusive rights to license checks on Android cellular phones.[12] Markus Persson of Mojang has stated he does not believe Minecraft infringes the Uniloc '067 patent and that Mojang AB will defend the lawsuit.[13] The same lawsuit was also filed against Electronic Arts, citing Bejeweled 2 as an infringement upon their patents on Android devices.[14] Uniloc also filed complaints for infringing the same patent against companies including: Distinctive Developments, Full Fat Productions, Gameloft, Halfbrick Studios, Laminar Research, Madfinger Games, Polarbit and Square Enix.[15][/QUOTE] Yes.

[QUOTE=Wootman;37672031] incorrectly called "Mindcraft" within the lawsuit documents[/QUOTE] Haha, that's hilarious :v:

[QUOTE=trotskygrad;37664700]I hope he wins and gets the money from the patent troll[/QUOTE] I rated disagree by accident. Fucking iPod. Hopefully one day we'll see an age where judges detect patent trolling.