Patent Issue Delays Doom 3 Source Code Release 283
An anonymous reader writes "id Software is still planning to release the Doom 3 source this year, but it's been delayed by a patent issue that's causing John Carmack to personally rewrite some of the code. The patent issue in Doom 3 concerns the Carmack's Reverse algorithm and has led Carmack to rewrite it in the open-source Doom 3."
Re:Human civilization fail (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Human civilization fail (Score:5, Informative)
It gets worse when you consider that (if I recall correctly), the patent was held by Creative Labs, and they waited until a month or two before the game was to be released to inform id of the patent. They essentially blackmailed id into putting EAX-specific features to avoid a lawsuit and delay the game's release.
Re:About the software patent-- IBTT (Score:5, Informative)
It escaped litigation because id made a deal with creative to promote creative hardware within Doom 3 in exchange for not getting sued.
Presumably that deal didn't include releasing the source at some point.
Re:Can a developer explain this? (Score:4, Informative)
For patents, the filing date is what counts in this scenario. The one to file first "wins". There's more to it, IIRC, as you can claim priority on public disclosures and foreign patents. So if you publish something in a scientific journal, say, you have a year to file a patent for it, and your invention is protected retroactively since the publication date in the journal. Someone who knows U.S. patent law better feel free to chime in with corrections, I'm not 100% sure about it. I'll ask a patent lawyer at work to see if he has anything to add to that.
Re:Can a developer explain this? (Score:2, Informative)
I think it's actually the reverse, at least currently. I believe the US is currently a first to invent system. However, there is legislation that is either going to be passed or may have just been passed recently that changes it to first to file as you described.
I'm not sure how that would apply retroactively, though, nor am I sure what date such a change would take effect if it has already been passed.
John Carmack on Software Patents (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Human civilization fail (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Human civilization fail (Score:5, Informative)
Id at the time agreed to use some Creative sound technology in Doom 3 that they wouldn't have otherwise used in exchange for Creative not patent trolling Id over Carmack's Reverse being used in Doom 3.
Re:Human civilization fail (Score:3, Informative)
No, trademark owners are required to protect their IP rights or risk losing them. The one possible exception in the patent world is submarine patents, but it doesn't sound like that sort of situation was present here.
Re:Human civilization fail (Score:5, Informative)
Creative did this to EVERY development studio if they used stencil shadows on previous generation titles. They certainly did for the developer I worked for. Why else do you think EAX survived longer then a heartbeat?
Re:Human civilization fail (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Human civilization fail (Score:5, Informative)
I had an A3D sound card back in the late 90s, that cost $20 at the time and would still kick the crap out of a modern day $80 Creative card.
Even back then, it had better 3D sound than I've heard in the past decade from any game, and used almost no CPU time, even back on my Celeron 450a.
What happened to them you ask? Creative kept at them with a frivolous lawsuit that eventually bankrupt Aureal with lawyer fees. Aureal was ran almost entirely by engineers, which meant very cheap high quality and innovative products/research, but they couldn't survive in the USA lawsuit world.
I have loathed Creative ever since. They are on the same level as RIAA/MPAA for me.
Re:Human civilization fail (Score:5, Informative)
And this kind of fucking bullshit is why mathematical algorithms should not fucking be patentable. EVER.