Worlds.com patents sex, sues Playboy … film at 11

So Worlds.com has filed suit against NCSoft — with other MMO publishers in their next-step sights — based on a very goofy patent. To wit:

The present invention provides a highly scalable architecture for a three-dimensional graphical, multi-user, interactive virtual world system. In a preferred embodiment a plurality of users interact in the three-dimensional, computer-generated graphical space where each user executes a client process to view a virtual world from the perspective of that user. The virtual world shows avatars representing the other users who are neighbors of the user viewing the virtual word. In order that the view can be updated to reflect the motion of the remote user’s avatars, motion, information is transmitted to a central server process which provides positions updates to client processes for neighbors of the user at that client process. The client process also uses an environment database to determine which background objects to render as well as to limit the movement of the user’s avatar.

Why, yes, that does sound like City of Heroes. And, um, about every other MMO out there. While there seems to be plenty of “prior art” in question, and NCSoft says it will defend itself “vigorously,” some are worried that might not be enough — especially with a suit filed in Texas by an American company against some Damned Furriners.

Rrg.

More links:

• Virtual Worlds News: Worlds.com Files Suit Against NCsoft for Patent Infringement
• Virtual Worlds News: Worlds.com v. NCsoft Update
• Penny Arcade pungently reacts graphically and verbally.