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Mojang in patent dispute

Patent trolls strike again.

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Notch has revealed via Twitter that Mojang are being sued for patent infringement.

Notch exposed details of the complaint, as submitted by Luxembourg-based firm Uniloc and their legal representative Barry J. Bumgardner (yes, that is his real name).

Uniloc are renowned for making ridiculous software patent claims, and their website outlines their business strategy: "Look at many ideas. Pick an outstanding one. Patent it. Commercialize it. Reap the rewards."

An alternative name for companies that take this approach is "Patent Troll", and it seems that Uniloc are suing because they believe that Mojang has infringed "patented technologies [that] enable software and content publishers to securely distribute and sell their high-value technology assets with minimum burden to their legitimate end users."

That may seem like a very vague description, but surely that's the point. Uniloc are a firm that has repeatedly tried to bleed money out of legitimate businesses for their own financial gains. A cursory inspection of the company's website reveals just what an ambiguous organisation it is.

Notch seems to be relishing the legal battle, he tweeted: "Unfortunately for them, they're suing us over a software patent. If needed, I will throw piles of money at making sure they don't get a cent."

He later revealed his opinion on the issue: "Software patents are plain evil. Innovation within software is basically free, and it's growing incredibly rapid. Patents only slow it down."

In a blog on tumblr.com he expanded on that sentiment: "There is no way in hell you can convince me that it's beneficial for society to not share ideas. Ideas are free. They improve on old things, make them better, and this results in all of society being better. Sharing ideas is how we improve."

"A common argument for patents is that inventors won't invent unless they can protect their ideas. The problem with this argument is that patents apply even if the infringer came up with the idea independently. If the idea is that easy to think of, why do we need to reward the person who happened to be first?"

He summed up by saying: "Trivial patents, such as for software, are counterproductive (they slown down technical advancement), evil (they sacrifice baby goats to baal), and costly (companies get tied up in pointless lawsuits)."

"If you own a software patent, you should feel bad."

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