Author: Florian Mueller
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In December, IBM got two game makers to pay patent royalties: first Zynga, then its parent Take-Two
December was a successful month for IBM’s patent licensing program targeting the games industry. Zygna and Take-Two have agreed to pay IBM patent royalties.
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Nintendo & The Pokémon Company v. Pocketpair (Palworld) patent infringement lawsuit attempts to monopolize game rules
Context: Two months ago, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, of which Nintendo is the largest shareholder, announced a Japanese patent infringement lawsuit against Pocketpair, the maker of the Palworld smash hit that has been described on social media as “Pokémon with guns” (September 19, 2024 Nintendo press release). The plaintiffs and the defendant are all…
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First anniversary of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard: gamers’ material benefits vs. FTC’s imaginary harm
Contrary to what some regulators feared, Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard King, which was consummated one year ago to the day, has actually resulted in more consumer choice.
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Microsoft responds to FTC letter: Game Pass price changes don’t support theories of harm in Activision Blizzard merger case
Context: The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held its FTC v. Microsoft & Activision Blizzard hearing (the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) appealed a district court’s July 2023 denial of a preliminary injunction against the transaction) in early December. Since then, 7 1/2 months have gone by without a decision, a fact…
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Epic’s contempt motion against Apple went from slam dunk to second thoughts: more evidence may be needed
The first few days of the Epic Games v. Apple contempt hearing appeared to go perfectly for the game maker, but it’s now unclear whether Apple’s commission on external purchases will be deemed unlawful.
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Apple ready to provide clarification regarding Epic’s injunction, but contempt holding and appeal likely to happen regardless
Yesterday’s first (and only full) day of the three-day Epic Games v. Apple contempt hearing gave indications of the basic direction.
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Google vehemently objects to Epic’s proposed worldwide injunction, raises intellectual property issues like Apple
Google has raised 93 pages of objections to Epic Games’ proposed injunction, with more than 250 pages of supporting material.
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Judge believes Apple is violating Epic Games’ U.S. injunction, schedules evidentiary hearing before final decision
According to a U.S. federal judge, “Epic Games has made a sufficient preliminary showing that, viewed holistically, Apple’s practice changes undermine the spirit of the injunction by limiting competition, impeding the free flow of information, and constraining user choice.”
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Apple responds to Epic’s enforcement motion, says it already announced in October 2021 it would charge for links
Context: Last month, Epic Games brought a previously announced contempt-of-court motion against Apple over the latter’s alleged non-compliance with an anti-anti-steering injunction under California Unfair Competition Law (March 13, 2024 games fray article). Epic received support from amici curiae including Meta, Microsoft, X, Match Group, Spotify, and Digital Content Next (Disney and others). Apple asked…
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Epic Games requests 14-page U.S. injunction against Google to strengthen alternative Android app distribution channels
Further to its December 2023 trial win, Epic Games has now proposed a permanent injunction that would comprehensively require Google to allow alternative Android app stores to compete on equal footing.