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Sony Fined $18.5 Million In Patent Infringement Case

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Over two years ago, Agere Systems filed a suit against Sony for potential infringement on patents regarding "wireless local area network apparatus." Looks like the courts ruled in Agere Systems' favor.
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HighDefinition - contributor
Published: 403 days 8 hours ago | News | Sony PSP | Gaming | Industry News
 
 

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Silogon - 403 days 9 hours ago
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1 -
Boy, and we wonder why sony doesn't pay for exclusives no more... They can't. All their money goes out for lawsuits.
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SaiyanFury - 403 days 9 hours ago
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1.1 -
Dude it isn't just Sony that has all these cases coming against them. Microsoft has a slew of them, and so does Nintendo in various patent infringement suits. Welcome to the corporate world. Lets all sue each other blind over any little quibble. Let's just be grateful that Sony hasn't scaled back the quality of the PS3 because of these lawsuits. Hell, because of the one with Immersion over rumble in the SIXAXIS we now have a motion sensing controller WITH rumble. Who's complaining about that?
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kewlkat007 - 403 days 8 hours ago
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1.2 - We wonder why Sony has no money for Tv Ads, is more like it....
but I'm sure this is Cheap Change...

Yes, MS is no stranger to Lawsuits...
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Panthers - 403 days 8 hours ago
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1.3 -
This happens to every big company. Everyone wants a piece of the pie.
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DeathroW22 - 403 days 8 hours ago
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1.4 -
Anymore? What? Sony have very rarely paid for 3rd party exclusives they have always put all their money into their first and second party studios like they are doing now.
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thor - 403 days 8 hours ago
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1.5 -
Silogon I usually agree with your views - on Home, on L4D, on WKC - I've read your "rants" on VGTilt and I agree with a lot of the things you say. I thought maybe that it was because you _were_ truly unbiased; but now I realise it's just because you like to:
a) Buck the trend
b) Make wild jabs
c) Get very opinionated and take everything far too far

Chill out!
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Silellak - 403 days 8 hours ago
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1.6 -
Maybe this will make fanboys shut up when they claim one company or another "ripped off" their company of choice?

Spoiler alert:

All three of the big companies get sued for patient infringement, because all three of them are constantly stealing ideas one another and elsewhere.
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y0haN - 403 days 7 hours ago
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1.7 -
Too many cheap-ass whiners trying to ride the bandwagon of popular brands to rape them of their money on a technicality these days.
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shazam - 403 days 6 hours ago
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1.8 -
like nobody likes you. why don't you do us all (and yourself) a favor and stop posting on n4g. on second thought just stop breathing. (this post goes to silogon obviously)
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FantasyStar - 403 days 5 hours ago
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1.9 -
I love ya Silogon. Too many people with hard-ons for Sony that they can't take a joke.
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f789790 - 403 days 5 hours ago
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1.10 -
If I had a lot of money I would put a hit out on the people that filed this lawsuit. You deserve a horrible death for being a leach on society and humanity.
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YoMeViet - 403 days 4 hours ago
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1.11 - @1.10
Bubbles my friend BUBBLES!
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kevnb - 402 days 16 hours ago
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1.12 - I love how everyone acts like an expert
just spewing whatever comes to mind.
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1.13 godofthunder10 | 402 days 15 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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xhairs9 - 402 days 14 hours ago
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1.14 - @FantasyStar
You truly are a PS3 gamer eh??

4 days 23 hours ago | By: FantasyStar | Block
-deleted by mods-
The "report" system actually works! You have alot of hate, you know. Be a gamer, not a hater. Your profile saddens PS3 gamers like us.

Notice how he says PS3 gamers like US. You my friend, are not a PS3 gamer.
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aggh im on fire - 403 days 9 hours ago
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2 -
Damn. If this is true we can probably kiss goodbye to a ps3 price cut.
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Silogon - 403 days 9 hours ago
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2.1 -
I wouldn't say that... Sony's in so much trouble right now they can't afford to keep the system where it's at. No system has went this long at such an absurd price.
Consumers who still want it will either
A) get there price drop
or
B) Move on and say pork the Ps3 and get xbox 360's

I'd like to think Sony knows what they've got to do... but man I jsut bit my tongue in the process. And 100,000 Ps3's sold will more than make up for this small chump change they're handing out here.
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ruibing - 403 days 8 hours ago
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2.2 -
@Silogon
Jeez man, just let it go. Unless you are a heavy investor that lost his/her fortune due to a potential stock drop from this, how does it even concern you?

On topic, this eastern Texas district seems to be where all the suits against Sony and Nintendo are coming from. The documentation says its the jury that ruled in Agere's favor but does not detail why and on which specific lawsuit.
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thor - 403 days 8 hours ago
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2.3 -
Silogon they would actually LOSE a lot of money if they dropped the price. If a price drop would cause such a large sales boost as you say, then, since they would be selling the console at a loss, the bigger that sales boost the more they lose. Sure, in the long term, they should recoup that on the games. But they are not about to run a risk as huge as that.
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cl63AMG - 403 days 7 hours ago
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2.4 - I wouldn't say that
sony had a 6.9% increase in revenue last year
http://www.tomsguide.com/us...
so i don't think they are exactly going to be bankrupted by this lawsuit.
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fenix1300 - 403 days 3 hours ago
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2.5 - @ thor
are you familiar with the term loss leader??? (I will assume you are), as long as Sony sells that console they are going to recoup the loss with the sales of a couple of games.
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LeonSKennedy4Life - 403 days 3 hours ago
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2.6 - Well
It concerns all PS3 owners.

Sony has given us quality games and experiences for years. We want that to continue. If Microsoft takes over, innovation will cease to exist.
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SL1M DADDY - 402 days 18 hours ago
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2.7 - @ aggh im on fire
You do realize that 18.5 million is equivalent to about .008% of the year on year sales for the PS3 right? Think about it, Sony is selling close to 10 million PS3's per year at roughly 400 bucks (US - average). Taken into account the rough estimate of their cost per machine and then calculating the settlement in question you get a picture of just how small this issue really is. Not to mention that the numbers I am looking at are for their gaming division (PS3 only) and not the company as a whole.
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Marquis_de_Sade - 402 days 9 hours ago
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2.8 -
wrong section edit
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GWAVE - 403 days 9 hours ago
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3 -
It seems that video game lawsuits are on the rise this generation. Can't say I'm surprised.

And $18 million isn't that much. Seriously. I don't see how this will "ruin" Sony (as I'm sure some posters will claim) yet the $1 billion write-off for the RRoD from Microsoft is no big deal.
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Kigmal - 403 days 6 hours ago
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3.1 -
GWAVE, you can'tt just go without mentioning MS or Xbox in any way can you? Go to the open zone.
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likedamaster - 403 days 5 hours ago
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3.2 -
@above
Agreed.

Now, just because Sony makes hardware and has a gaming department doesn't give them the right to blatantly use someone else's technology. Rumble anyone? Same thing here.
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aggh im on fire - 403 days 9 hours ago
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4 -
Thats true. And these lawsuits are crazy. It will take more than 100,000 ps3 to rake this back though as they don't make a lot of profit on the sale of the machine if any.
Compared to the RROD its small change though. Still a bugger though.
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ThatCanadianguy420 - 403 days 8 hours ago
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4.1 -
Why just PS3's?? PSP's hell,even PS2's are still flying off the shelves.

18 million stings But they'll get over it.
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Nitrowolf2 - 403 days 8 hours ago
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4.2 -
not only do they sell the ps2 and psp but htey also sell HD t.vs PC and other things. i dont think this will hurt them that much and if it does they can easily make it back
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Milo Garret - 403 days 4 hours ago
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4.3 -
Stings? They didn't even feel that.
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Darkseider - 403 days 9 hours ago
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5 - Lawsuits
First off this lawsuit is based in a vaporware patent and should not have been upheld in court. Patenting IP which has never been produced is absolute bullsh*t and should be abolished as should software patents. Their purpose for existence is to suck money out of companies who actually make a product that resembles the patent and whammo! lawsuit is initiated. It's a shame that this kind of crap goes on on a daily basis. It's one thing to patent something that you've done or made. Patenting an idea or concept is absurd. The patent outlines a process that anyone else can think of. There were no specifics or anything just a freakin concept of a process. Just plain stupid.
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spectyre - 402 days 23 hours ago
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5.1 - Agreed
The legal system is getting way out of hand. Remember the old woman who burned her kutchie with McDonalds coffee? What did she get... 6 million? Juries tend to feel sorry for the little people and will typically judge in their favor just because they believe the big corporation can afford the loss, even if they are not to blame.
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Polluted - 403 days 8 hours ago
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6 -
Sucks to be Sony I guess, but truthfully, 18 and a half million dollars isn't exactly going to break the bank. This is SONY we're talking about here.
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DJ - 403 days 8 hours ago
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7 - 18 million? That's it?
It's a wierd-looking patent too. Almost as generalized as "apparatus that reads data off a disc."
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thor - 403 days 8 hours ago
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7.1 -
People take out patents just so they can claim on them - when they have no intention of actually producing the thing they have a patent for.
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RareNimbus - 403 days 1 hour ago
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7.2 - I totally agree you u thor
u r so right!!
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Arsenal4Ever - 403 days 8 hours ago
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8 -
oh well.. happens to every major company right?
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tako2000 - 403 days 8 hours ago
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9 -
Still...ouch!!
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10 Crazywhitie | 403 days 7 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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Nicolator - 403 days 7 hours ago
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11 - its normal for a big company ..
All the Golddiggers are gonna be after ur ass to get ur dow... well that is one of sony's Ex-Hos
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dkgshiz - 403 days 7 hours ago
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12 - wow! You people are fuking stupid.
Do you think 18.5 million is anything to a corporation? Its pocket change.
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bomboclaat_gamer - 403 days 6 hours ago
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13 -
oh and i thought sony didnt steal anyone's ideas
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sparta76 - 403 days 5 hours ago
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14 - HEY GUYS
Don't think you guys know this but the "PLAYSTATION" brand made 50 billion dollars to date. i read this in the playstation mag a few months ago also read it online. guess you can google it and see for yourself. plus they make that in what 50,000 to 100,000 ps3 sold
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ReBurn - 403 days 5 hours ago
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14.1 -
I don't think they're making $18.5 million on every 50,000 to 100,000 PS3's sold.
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bomboclaat_gamer - 403 days 3 hours ago
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14.2 -
why do u care. its not like u benefiting from it
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Enigma_2099 - 403 days 5 hours ago
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15 - ... I HATE patent squatters...
... that is all.
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SketchCA - 402 days 23 hours ago
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15.1 - No doubt!
Lazy @ss people looking to get rich quick without even doing any d@mn work. Worthless, absolutely worthless. Like the guy that patented 21st Fox before Fox did. He got millions for doing absolutely nothing. Makes me sad to live in the U.S. No wonder other countries look down on us.
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djslapdash - 403 days 4 hours ago
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16 - Sony Fined $18.5 Million In Patent Infringement Case
A Sony CEO looks at the newspaper headline at a board meeting, it reads:

"Sony Fined $18.5 Million In Patent Infringement Case"

The CEO looks up at the board members across the table and asks:

"Anyone got any change".
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moja - 403 days 1 hour ago
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17 -
Actually, if any of you want to get into a class action lawsuit, I'm gonna sue Sony because black was my favorite color growing up.
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