Microsoft accused of patent violation

A new report from GamesIndustry.biz has emerged that reveals Microsoft has been accused of patent infringement, leading to a lawsuit filed against the company by both Infernal Technologies and Terminal Reality, all of which relates to Patent 6,362,822 and Patent 7,061,488, patents to do with graphical lighting and shadowing methods.

In the filing we find out that, while developing their own titles such as Bloodrayne and The Walking Dead: Survival Instincts, they continued working on the Infernal Engine which was then licensed out to other parties. The lawsuit not only alleges that Microsoft developed a number of games such as Halo 5 and Sea of Thieves that infringe on both patents, but also that they are "intimately familiar with the nature and scope" of the patents since at least 2005. This latter statement is corroborated by the fact that there is a patent filing in Microsoft from 2005 which was rejected two years later as both patents were referenced.

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