Patent Claims Against Activision Blizzard’s Use of Lip Synchronization & Facial Expression Technology in Call of Duty®, Sk...
September 25 2014 - 4:43PM
Business Wire
Dismissal Follows The Supreme Court’s Recent
Ruling Confirming that Abstract Ideas are Not Patentable
Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced that
the United States District Court, Central District of California
has invalidated all patent claims asserted against the Company by
McRO, Inc. d.b.a. Planet Blue.
The Court concluded that two patents for automatically animating
lip synchronization and facial expressions of 3D characters were
invalid, and as a result, the case against Activision Blizzard has
been dismissed.
“Meritless patent cases such as this stifle innovation and the
creative process across the industry,” said Chris Walther, Chief
Legal Officer of Activision Blizzard. “We will aggressively defend
our investments in the innovative franchises at Activision
Publishing and Blizzard Entertainment, as we did in this case with
Call of Duty®, Skylanders® and StarCraft®
II, from entities whose sole purpose is to use patent
litigation to hold innovative companies captive for monetary
gain.”
As part of its jointly filed motion on behalf of the Defendants,
Activision Blizzard argued that the two patents in question --
6,307,576 and 6,611,278 – were invalid because they claimed
well-known and long-practiced lip-synching methods implemented on a
computer. On September 24, 2014, the District Court agreed, finding
that the patents lacked any inventive concept, and therefore the
claims would inhibit rather than promote the progress of the useful
arts.
The Court’s decision to invalidate the patents follows precedent
set by The Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Alice Corp., confirming
that abstract ideas are not patentable.
About Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard, Inc. is the largest and most profitable
independent western interactive entertainment publishing company.
It develops and publishes some of the most successful and beloved
entertainment franchises in any medium, including Call of Duty,
Skylanders, World of Warcraft, StarCraft® and Diablo.
Headquartered in Santa Monica California, Activision Blizzard
maintains operations throughout the United States, Europe, and
Asia. It develops and publishes games on all leading interactive
platforms and its games are available in most countries around the
world. More information about Activision Blizzard and its products
can be found on the company's website,
www.activisionblizzard.com.
Activision BlizzardMary Osako,
424-322-5166mary.osako@activision.com
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