WoW virtual worlds patent lawsuit moves ahead

A lawsuit against Activision Blizzard over its World of Warcraft MMO has been given a hearing date for June 27th next year.

As reported by Yahoo Finance, Worlds Inc. claims Activision Blizzard infringed its patent regarding “a system and method for enabling users to interact in a virtual space.”

The hearing will be used by the Judge to determine the meaning of the language and interpretation of the patent, which will inform further litigation proceedings.

If successful, the case could have wider implications for the MMO market given the patent refers to a key game mechanic in the genre.

It should be noted however that Worlds Inc. previously had a lawsuit against NCSoft dismissed in 2010 after an undisclosed settlement.

"Technologies created by Worlds have helped the businesses of virtual worlds gaming and the sale of virtual goods to grow into a multi-billion dollar industry," said Worlds Inc. CEO Thom Kidrin in the initial claim filed on March 30th.

"While we are pleased to see that the gaming industry and its rapidly growing customer base have enthusiastically embraced our patented technologies, we deserve fair compensation for their use."