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Patent trolls are especially despicable, to the point where I’d probably celebrate even Activision Blizzard putting one down.
Targeting smaller developers and offering them glorified blackmail options is their stock and trade though, and here we see GTX Corp trying to give Playsaurus some classic shakedown treatment.
Griff
18.07.2023I just don't get clicker games. I know my mouse and touch screens work, I don't need to stress test them or get a repetitive stress injury…More power to those who enjoy them, to each their own.
Mike G
17.07.2023The Chive trademarked the words “Lets Drink”. I had a sweet t shirt i designed that said “lets drink like gentlemen” and they fuckin sent me a cease n desist. Fuck off with your word trademarks.
Wil Lichtenstein
17.07.2023Wasn't there already a big US Supreme court decision against patent trolls? That would explain why the trolls are going after smaller fish.
Warp Zone
17.07.2023Man, this made me want to boot up Edgy McEdgerson's Hedge Edger and edge a hedge.
Claudius Pulcher
17.07.2023Anyone- including lawyers- sending a legal threat disguised as a settlement offer that is found to be spurious should be liable for whatever they demanded in the letter.
RoverStorm
17.07.2023"Parasite."
My summary of that company.
Shark of Joy
17.07.2023I think clicker games reached peak evolution with Universal Paperclip, ostensibly a clicker game but subtly a minimalist dystopian scifi story about human responsibility towards AI. It's about two hours from start to finish, it's free, and it's excellent.
ArchAbaddon
17.07.2023He should contact the EFF and request representation.
David Wilson
17.07.2023Shitty practice not yet implemented; penalties in loot boxes. Negative credits.
Squizzlor
17.07.2023Wow that game play looked so good! How do mobile games like this work how does the economy really sustain this shit??
And yes patent siting lawsuit companies are one of the many corporate fucktards that make the world a shitty place! Along with banks, and productions companies, any industry that runs off making more money in an investment tends to be absolute sleaze piggybacking off others like a parasite.
Allen Petty
17.07.2023I hope you know about Ubisoft and it's purchase only lootboxes in R6 siege operation cashgrab
Maggerama
16.07.2023Fuck unimplemented ideas and undisclosed potentials. They're worth nothing.
JOSEPH WODARCZYK
16.07.2023My engineering class had an entire article about patent trolls and even referenced them as such. That should show how ridiculous this problem is.
Joshyblogz
16.07.2023Believe it or not the game's microtransactions are not necessary at all for playing it. That said I guess they are ripping off whales like any of these games….
I think for a free to play with microtransactions it's by far not the worst. And I would actually highly recommend it as an insane time killer if you think you can avoid the microtransactions.
SMC
16.07.2023Looks like same difference to me, garbage games or garbage patents. Let them kill each other who cares. Both need to die.
Amir Garcia
16.07.2023This entire topic just utterly confuses me, but hearing Jim rant will never not be entertaining.
Hashem
16.07.2023Suing someone for money over something as a way of income is one of the most low things to do to people, especially if it is for money.
avyn
16.07.2023May I suggest a postmortem of Destiny 2 considering it has lost many of its players?
Muffins McGeez
16.07.2023This is why we need eugenics. There's just too many people on the planet to let assholes like this continue to pollute the gene pool.
Erebus2075
16.07.2023patents needs to be remade. you can make what you used on creating the idea and from there patents shouldn't exist.
so insure they get minimum their investment back and from there its free for everyone to do the best they can.
That guy with the face
16.07.2023Just about one of the cuntiest thing one could do
CaitSeith
15.07.2023That's no patent troll. That's a PATENT SHARK! They'll get a bite of small fries they know can't fight back. No jokes or lols; just hunting for preys.
Hfric`s Gaming Backlog
15.07.2023Yeah gaming patent Trolls are the worst … thats why we dont have any good Mechwarrior games , some fucker patented basic used Mech designs Facepalm …
Greatoverlordchikonmaster
15.07.2023Trying to patent stupid shit and sue people over it hmm. Jim, have you heard of Games workshop ?
Greevak Strohos
15.07.2023Jim you look good in a powdered wig ever put any thought towards a judge character on the Jimquisition?
Z
15.07.2023Fuck patent Trolls. No the persons behind the trolls need a REAL kick in the sack and Throat.
TacticalBBQSauce
15.07.2023Usually they will go after small companies and build up cash before going for one of the bigger fish
Rook
15.07.2023I am offended by your comparison of the productive, helpful and lets face it rather cute earthworm as a representation of patent trolls! Why would you do this? Were you unable to find a picture of a lump of excrement?
Divert
15.07.2023I think the gameplay in the background gave me cancer.
Rhaenyra Reigns
15.07.2023=Clicker HeroesversusPatent Trolls=ROUND 1
FIGHT!
dkamm65
15.07.2023The microtransactions in Clicker Heroes really aren't that bad. You don't need them by any stretch, and anything you could buy with real money you can literally save edit into your game with nothing more complicated than a Google search. You can even save edit rubies into your game. CH's implementation of microtransactions is basically the equivalent of donationware.
Texelion 3D prints
14.07.2023Pretty sure GTX is owned by EA or Activision. Dig deeper.
Graphomite
14.07.2023Unfortunately, we live in a world where you can be legally extorted by white collar criminals if you don't have tens of thousands/millions of dollars to sink into lawyers and court costs, because the judicial system is nothing but a big circle jerk between attorneys, judges, and state officials.
Desmond Brown
14.07.2023This stuff is exactly why I've always believed you shouldn't be allowed to buy patents/copyrights/trademarks nor should you be able to hold on to them for longer than 7 years after creation. The fact that entire business models are predicated on buying up patents and either sitting on them so there is no competition or using them to sue for profit is absolutely disgusting. You should only get a patent/copyright/trademark if you were the original creator. And even then it should be heavily decreased in time allowed to exist for all forms of "idea ownership" (as if that's even fucking real). Then after that, it should move to the public domain space and basically exist like open-source technologies.
Sebastian Weinberg
14.07.2023BTW, anything said about patent trolls goes in equal measure for domain name squatters. It's the exact same loathsome mindset and modus operandi, only on a slightly different, adjacent playing field.
geneirai
14.07.2023clicker hero 2? now that sounds like my jam! I actually really enjoy full release clicker games, they tend to have better progression curves and are more interactive. I'll have to check out steam later.
Kindlesmith80
14.07.2023Disney? XD
Chrono Ryono
14.07.2023This kind of a shit could be tempered if we could just legislate a requirement that an IP or patent must be invoked in a product at least [X per Y] or you run the risk of either losing it or at least giving those who wish to purchase it extra negotiating power.
It wouldn't fix everything (we'd just get more shitty little mobile spin-offs to keep the IP or patent "current") but it would be a nice start. If nothing else it would force Sega to at least give Alex Kidd a nod that he once existed.
Varun Narain
14.07.2023Aww, I like Nekki quite a lot.
Travis
14.07.2023what happened to having to have an actual valid working prototype of an item to get a patent approved.
Wesuwius
14.07.2023Auto clicker for 100 what the hell the currency is in this game. Takes 1 min to make a macro for it (if you have macro mouse) or 5 min to make an auto click script. But is it cheating if you don't pay for auto click script?
Iivaitte
14.07.2023I'd love you to touch on NCsoft
SPACE DELTA 10 Blast It
14.07.2023COOKIE CLICKER JUST GOT SOME MAJOR UPDATES!!! DUST OFF YOUR SAVES!!! ehem um I mean yeah who still plays cookie clicker? That game is like, old, or something.
The King
14.07.2023JIM WHY WONT YOU TALK ABOUT THE PATENT TROLL COMPANIES ILIFE OR GAMEVICE?!?
Samuel Santiago
14.07.2023The PC version of Clicker Heroes give you way more rubies than the mobile version. You can save up and buy anything for free.
I way able to buy around 12 auto clickers (the next auto clicker I can buy costs 700) with rubies I farmed from click-ables. So if you don't want to deal having to spend real cash, play the PC (I use Steam) version.
Chrono Ryono
14.07.2023Excusing shitty behaviour because it's punishing other shitty behaviour is a worrying precedent. Next you'll have people supporting corrupt police because the person whose rights they violated was an accused drug dealer (so who cares, right?)
modelmajorpita
14.07.2023A lot of the problems with the patent system in the US are caused by how the patent office is funded. Rather than using tax dollars to fund it (like the original set up) these days the patent office is funded entirely by fees collected. And fees are only collected when a patent is approved.
This means there is a quota of patents that MUST be accepted, regardless of how fraudulent they are, or else the patent office will be in financial trouble.
spaceduck413
14.07.2023For anybody watching this much after the fact, there is a good news update. Playsaurus found a lawyer who absolutely tore these trolls a new one, and also uncovered the fact that Google and Apple had already purchased store wide licenses for each of their respective stores, meaning these guys were trying to double dip licensing fees.
Playsaurus's lawyer essentially told GTX that if they were stupid enough to bring this to a court, Playsaurus would be seeking a very large amount of attorneys fees and would be just about as close to being guaranteed them as you can actually get (most judges are very… finicky… and you can never be 100% sure if you're going to be awarded fees or not). The last I heard that was the end of it, with GTX apparently being not actually dumb enough to go through with it, at least when the devs lawyered up.
Leah L
14.07.2023I would like to patent the concept of putting female game characters in heels and then LEGAL the shit out of this industry until high heels in video games has been wiped from the earth!
But I have no idea how to do that.
babypower14
14.07.2023honestly among games with microtransactions i think clicker heroes gives a decent amount of free rubies each day today alone i got 300+ never spent a dime so for once it really is optional…but the items cost shit ton for very little so still bad but alot better then a lot of loot boxes