Simply ridiculous. :/

It's good that this law exists, because people would take credit for something they didn't make. But, I didn't know Namco could sue you just because you put a simplest thing in your movie or game, a preloader game. I thought it was free thing for everyone, and now it seems I'm wrong. :|

you know someone somewhere will take advantage

That's copyright laws for you.
If you use someone else's work, they might sue you.

Don't tell me you wouldn't if you found out the stuff you made became stolen.

Even if it's just a preloader game, at least ask first!

did you know you have to pay I D money if you make an fps game?!?!?!

Rudy be Right

Dude... That's just crazy.

that is just wrong.. its not copyright if u make ur OWN preloader game from scratch.

something like this cannot be used by one person or company.

there has to be a way around it!

We should unveil a Pacman Preloader on NG just to make a stink. :)

You can copyright Ideas now? Not just products? :C

So will this be an issue in flash games?

You could always copyright ideas and not just products.

I got into an argument with a guy because he used the phrase "Two Thumbs Up" in a review as a ranking system. That process is actually Copyrighted to Ebert and Roeper, although Ebert is working to transfer the copyright to Roper and A.O. Scott, because Ebert will no longer be working for the program, "At the Movies."

I'm blurry on deciding what constitutes as a game and what doesn't =/

Meh... 'em big boys don't care 'bout us. We are indeed under the radar, but they won't notice such small blips like us. :P
It's all good..... plus I'm in Canada. ^^

Namco should burn in hell for this retarded patent. They are too greedy.

I don´t think they patented preloader games itself, but the technical stuff etc. like shown in the picture.

Lol, what bullshit.

They can pry my preloader game from my cold dead hands.

So does Namco want a slap to the face NOW or...?

I read through a bit of that and I noticed that what you said wasn't ENTIRELY exact to what they said.

Their version of a preloader game is a game that gets installed and loaded before a larger game is installed/downloaded for instance of installing a game from a CD-ROM. This did not include any mention as to preloader games loading before and actual flash/console game, and so I would assume do not include those.

The patent is really quite unique in what it really patents, the creation of a preloader game installing and working before a main game is installed of larger size and while the other installation occurs, the preloader game allows for some time-wastage.

If I haven't gotten that exactly right, my bad, but from what I read, it really does not apply to any preloader games for stuff like flash.

They can't patent all preloader games, patenting one of them, one they made them selves, yes, but all preloader games anywhere is... fucked up. It's like trying to patent cars, you can patent your own car, to the extent that it is a rare kind or something, and is not widely used and changed freely.

aw damnit! comon!
Thats just not right...

well that sucks just a bit

I would like to violate that patent over and over and over again...

Fuck, this happened on my 9th birthday.

Oh wow. Yeah now reading it a bit more, it has very open definitions.

Time to break some laws >=)

So u say "Preloader Games Protected by US Law". Ok, so if u are a US inhabitant the law is for u. But if u are from a nother country like... Sweden... the law dont work. Here there is a other laws. So on swedish servers and in Sweden the law wont work I think :O

Some japanese folks went into the Amazon forest and patented açaí, a fruit paste that had been used by natives for centuries. Can you believe this??
Let's try and patent shushi!!

Hah, interesting.

I never liked preloader games, the point of a preloader is to preload the game, having a game on the preloader kinda defeats the objective of its existance :P.

It is pretty crazy the lengths that some companies will go to!

I'm curious who'll get sued first?