A developer of 3D software has been granted a US patent for its
technology which creates 3D multi-user virtual worlds, according to
a report by Wired News. Worlds.com is threatening to begin making
legal claims against other developers to enforce its new monopoly
right.
According to the patent, applied for in 1996, the invention,
“provides a highly scalable architecture for
a three-dimensional graphical, multi-user, interactive virtual
world system. A plurality of users can 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 neighbours of the user viewing
the virtual world. 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 which provides position 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.”
A Worlds.com spokesman said:
"Our intention is to market this technology to our current partners
as well as to organisations, companies and other sites that have
been looking for new and unique ways to involve mass audiences in
their products, applications and services. We will also review
other 3D sites who may be using our technology to ensure we are
fully compensated."
Wired News reports that the popular 3D game EverQuest is “first
on the list” for evaluation by Worlds.com to see if it infringes
the patent.
