US Trade Commission investigates Blu-ray patent

by Ross Miller on Mar 24th 2008 10:30AM

While we hear Sony has kept the party going non-stop since HD DVD's demise, the US International Trade Commission has stepped in as the role of the party pooper. Gertrude Neumark Rothschild, a former Columbia University professor, has filed a complaint with the ITC over what she says is infringement for patent she owns on certain light-emitting and laser diodes contained in Blu-ray players and other electronics.

The commission has voted to investigate the claim, though they have "not yet made any decision on the merits of the case." Rothschild's complaint lists over 30 companies, including Sony, Samsung, Toshiba and Nokia.

Source

Tags: blu-ray, diode, law, lawsuit, patent, PS3

Reader Comments (56)

Man.... I just thought of something: Who benefits from Blu-Ray being no more: Microsoft for one. Call me a conspiracy theory nut-job all you want. But what if.... Microsoft pays her, providing she wins, to not let Sony and the others continued use of the Blu-Ray diodes. That my friends would end the console war. Microsoft would be teh dominant current-gen winner. Sorry, as a Wii owner, I do not consider the Wii to be in the console war at all.

But of course I will be wrong once again. And this woman will become super rich once they settle with her. Then they will have to stamp her trademark onto all things Blu-Ray.

Yea you sound totally unbiased. I don't count the PS3 as a next gen console since it hasn't got the killer game yet, or the 360 since its lacking basic built-in wifi.

Yea I just discount consoles as next gen going off my specific set of requirements that are based on everything but the games it plays.

Let's look at the worst case scenario here folks. If Sony loses this patent case, and Blue Ray manfuctuirn must cease and desist then all Sony needs to do is add a DVD 9 player to its systems, it will increase their loading times and everyone will come out a winner. Except for those early adopters who have built up a library of Blue Ray movies.

MAKE ME POST TWICE WILL YOU!?

At the same time, could the ITC investigate the patent system to find out wtf is wrong with it?

Man, this crap has gotten way out of control. Every other story in gaming now is about either Jack Thompson or patent crap. What I've learned from the last couple months is that 1. Jack Thompson is still and a**hole hipocrit, and you can get a patent on pretty much ANYTHING!

I mean did she invent the blue laser emitter, did she invent the disc, what excately is she claiming ownership of? The interaction between the two??? If thats the case, I surprised no one has claimed to own the patent on sex or conversation, or maybe even the interaction between our eyes and written words...which some of us call reading. Jezzz

Instead of investigating all these bogus claims, maybe the ITC should tighten up on the vague crap people patent.

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