Topic: Wizards of the Coast suing Cryptozoic over Hex

[idolminds]

Read the complaint here

Hex is a digital card game that got Kickstarted a while back. It does share a lot of similarities to Magic, but then game mechanics are not copyrightable so it will be interesting to see if anything will really come from it.

If Wizards were smart they would have hired Cryptozoic to make their Magic Online client, because I tried that one recently and its total garbage.

[Xessive]

That just sounds like a nerd fight. And that's coming from a nerd like me!

If any intellectual property was misappropriated then WotC have every right to defend it but I can't help but feel this is as ridiculous as Donald Trump copyrighting the words "you're fired" and then suing anyone who utters them.

[Cobra951]

I didn't get past the header of the complaint.  That was enough to verify what I suspected.  Copyright may not be the landmine field, but patents might very well be.  Software patents are the bane of software development, and should be done away with entirely.  Forget Donald Trump.  It's more like getting a patent on driving nails into wood with a hammer, then charging every carpenter on Earth royalties whenever they go to work.

[gpw11]

I didn't get past the header of the complaint.  That was enough to verify what I suspected.  Copyright may not be the landmine field, but patents might very well be.  Software patents are the bane of software development, and should be done away with entirely.  Forget Donald Trump.  It's more like getting a patent on driving nails into wood with a hammer, then charging every carpenter on Earth royalties whenever they go to work.

It seems like it's so much worse with software/technology than anything else.   With most patents, if the process is "obvious" rather than "proprietary" the patent will either be thrown out or unenforceable but it seems with software in particular, it doesn't work that way.  I wonder if it's because of a lack of understanding (and difficulty in determining what is obvious and what is proprietary) or because the experts involved in software/technology patent handing out authorities have somewhat of a vested interest. 

In either case, it's bullshit.

[idolminds]

Lawsuit settled

September 24, 2015 (Renton, WA) – Today Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) and publisher of the strategy trading card game Magic: The Gathering®, and Cryptozoic Entertainment, LLC and Hex Entertainment, LLC, have resolved a litigation filed in May of last year claiming willful infringement of intellectual property rights arising from the digital trading card game, Hex: Shards of Fate®. The parties have entered into a settlement agreement and license with undisclosed terms.

“We recognize that Wizards owns valuable intellectual property in Magic: The Gathering, are happy to have this matter settled and excited to move forward with Hex: Shards of Fate,” said Hex Entertainment President and CEO Cory Jones. “We believe that the gaming community will benefit from knowing that Hex: Shards of Fate is no longer subject to litigation.”

“Wizards of the Coast has always welcomed new games to the trading card game genre, and we encourage TCG fans to not only play Magic, but to try many different games. However, we will not hesitate to take action to protect our intellectual property and the amazing work of hundreds of dedicated Magic team members around the world. That is why we brought this lawsuit and why we are happy to announce its resolution through a settlement and license that both protects the valuable intellectual property of Magic: The Gathering and allows Cryptozoic and Hex to move forward with Hex: Shards of Fate,” said Wizards of the Coast CEO, Greg Leeds.

The lawsuit filed in May of last year included claims for copyright, patent and trade dress infringement.

Sadly we don't know any details about the deal. If any changes are made to Hex, though, it'll be pretty obvious. This is also good for Wizards because if they lost the case then that would be real bad news for them.

[Cobra951]

After being personally involved in such a bullshit lawsuit myself (over ownership of what's in my head), I can confidently say that this is the way it always goes.  Everyone agrees to be gagged about the matter, and not say anything that might make someone else involved look bad--such as "they were using dozens of copies of software licensed for a single user, and they'll let other things slide to avoid being exposed on that front".  Shit! Did I say that out loud?  No I didn't.  Hey, look at the time.  I'm OUT!