Re: patents on Frets on Fire, Pydance, StepMania and such games

[Don Armstrong <don@debian.org>]

On Fri, 18 Jan 2008, John Halton wrote:
> 1. A game system comprising:
> 
> an input apparatus which is manipulated by a player;
> 
> performance data memory device which stores performance data
> stipulating a series of manipulations of said input apparatus arranged
> in correspondence with a predetermined musical piece;

Interesting that they've managed to patent sheet music stored in a
computer.

> manipulation guide device which specifies the series of manipulations
> of said input apparatus arranged in correspondence with said musical
> piece to the player based on said performance data;
> 
> said performance data comprising information which specifies timings
> of manipulations relating to at least one timing manipulation member
> provided on said input apparatus, and information which specifies at
> least one selection manipulation member to be manipulated in
> correspondence with the manipulation of said timing manipulation
> member from a plurality of selection manipulation members provided on
> said input apparatus;

And then continue to even more precisely define digital sheet music.

Oh well; it's not like patent examiners are actually capable of
understanding the patents which they are examining.


Don Armstrong

-- 
A Democracy lead by politicians and political parties, fails.

http://www.donarmstrong.com              http://rzlab.ucr.edu