Dismissal Follows The Supreme Court's Recent Ruling Confirming that
Abstract Ideas are Not Patentable
SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced that the United
States District Court, Central District of California has invalidated
all patent claims asserted against the Company by McRO, Inc. d.b.a.
Planet Blue.
The Court concluded that two patents for automatically animating lip
synchronization and facial expressions of 3D characters were invalid,
and as a result, the case against Activision Blizzard has been dismissed.
"Meritless patent cases such as this stifle innovation and the creative
process across the industry," said Chris Walther, Chief Legal Officer of
Activision Blizzard. "We will aggressively defend our investments in the
innovative franchises at Activision Publishing and Blizzard
Entertainment, as we did in this case with Call of Duty®, Skylanders®
and StarCraft® II,
from entities whose sole purpose is to use patent litigation to hold
innovative companies captive for monetary gain."
As part of its jointly filed motion on behalf of the Defendants,
Activision Blizzard argued that the two patents in question -- 6,307,576
and 6,611,278 - were invalid because they claimed well-known and
long-practiced lip-synching methods implemented on a computer. On
September 24, 2014, the District Court agreed, finding that the patents
lacked any inventive concept, and therefore the claims would inhibit
rather than promote the progress of the useful arts.
The Court's decision to invalidate the patents follows precedent set by
The Supreme Court's recent ruling in Alice Corp., confirming that
abstract ideas are not patentable.
About Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard, Inc. is the largest and most profitable independent
western interactive entertainment publishing company. It develops and
publishes some of the most successful and beloved entertainment
franchises in any medium, including Call of Duty, Skylanders, World of
Warcraft, StarCraft® and Diablo.
Headquartered in Santa Monica California, Activision Blizzard maintains
operations throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. It develops
and publishes games on all leading interactive platforms and its games
are available in most countries around the world. More information about
Activision Blizzard and its products can be found on the company's
website, www.activisionblizzard.com.
Activision Blizzard
Mary Osako, 424-322-5166
mary.osako@activision.com
Source: Activision Blizzard, Inc.
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