From: Lee Daniel Crocker (lcrocker@mercury.colossus.net)
Date: Mon Dec 27 1999 - 12:30:41 MST
> Just getting the patent is only the first part of the battle. You should
> talk to Myron Krueger sometime. He developed about half of the VR related
> technology used today, and everyone roundly ignores his patents, because
> they know that for years he has yelled about everyone ripping him off but
> has never taken the trouble to go to court.
>
> On the other hand, Vivid Effects out of Toronto, one of the companies that
> Myron accuses of violating his patent on VideoPlace - and it seems
> incontrovertible that they have (I spent years covering this issue as a
> freelance journalist.) - got a patent on a VideoPlace proportional device,
> which would have been an obvious use of the technology to any software
> engineer and which Myron believes is included in his original patent. (I
> even vaguely recall suggesting such a software device around 1990 to one of
> the principles at Vivid.)
>
> But no one has challenged Vivid, and it appears that they have some
> interesting connections now with deep pockets - Intel, in particular. So
> they have probably gotten away with a patent on something obvious which will
> probably be worth billions over the next ten years, while Myron struggles
> along.
An excellent example of how patent law rewards lawyers and litigious
companies more than inventors.
-- Lee Daniel Crocker <lee@piclab.com> <http://www.piclab.com/lcrocker.html> "All inventions or works of authorship original to me, herein and past, are placed irrevocably in the public domain, and may be used or modified for any purpose, without permission, attribution, or notification."--LDC
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