MuGen
04-18-2006, 11:08 AM
Lucent Technologies has filed an injunction that could disrupt the distribution of the Xbox 360 game console because of a patent suit involving MPEG-2 decoding. The suit against Microsoft in was filed in the U.S. District Court in San Diego on grounds that Microsoft has violated a patent it holds on the built-in MPEG-2 "Adaptive Coding and Decoding of Frames and Fields of Video" capability of the console. The patent number 5,227,878 was filed on July 13, 1993.
The abstract patent description reads: Improved compression of digital signals relating to high resolution video images is accomplished by an adaptive and selective coding of digital signals relating to frames and fields of the video images. Digital video input signals are analyzed and a coding type signal is produced in response to this analysis. This coding type signal may be used to adaptively control the operation of one or more types of circuitry which are used to compress digital video signals so that less bits, and slower bit rates, may be used to transmit high resolution video images without undue loss of quality. For example, the coding type signal may be used to improve motion compensated estimation techniques, quantization of transform coefficients, scanning of video data, and variable word length encoding of the data. The improved compression of digital video signals is useful for video conferencing applications and high definition television, among other things.”
Microsoft filed a "No Infringement" lawsuit against Lucent back in 2003 which they won because of a typographical error embedded in the original language of Lucent's patent. Lucent later corrected the language and refiled the corrected patent. Microsoft won on a technicality the first time, but now that Lucent has rewritten their patent, making their case much stronger, if the legal pundits are to be believed.
While having the Xbox 360 removed form store shelves is a very remote possibility, it is possible and if Microsoft loses, the amount of compensation Lucent gets awarded will reflect the total number of Xbox 360's sold at the time the case is settled.
Article: http://www.ps3portal.com/xbox360/article/355.html
Wow, this is going to be a huge blow to Microsoft if Lucent gets it their way. When the article says the compensation could amount to the amount of 360's sold... Xbox would have lost all advantage over Sony and Nintendo in terms of earlier release.
Any comments guys?
The abstract patent description reads: Improved compression of digital signals relating to high resolution video images is accomplished by an adaptive and selective coding of digital signals relating to frames and fields of the video images. Digital video input signals are analyzed and a coding type signal is produced in response to this analysis. This coding type signal may be used to adaptively control the operation of one or more types of circuitry which are used to compress digital video signals so that less bits, and slower bit rates, may be used to transmit high resolution video images without undue loss of quality. For example, the coding type signal may be used to improve motion compensated estimation techniques, quantization of transform coefficients, scanning of video data, and variable word length encoding of the data. The improved compression of digital video signals is useful for video conferencing applications and high definition television, among other things.”
Microsoft filed a "No Infringement" lawsuit against Lucent back in 2003 which they won because of a typographical error embedded in the original language of Lucent's patent. Lucent later corrected the language and refiled the corrected patent. Microsoft won on a technicality the first time, but now that Lucent has rewritten their patent, making their case much stronger, if the legal pundits are to be believed.
While having the Xbox 360 removed form store shelves is a very remote possibility, it is possible and if Microsoft loses, the amount of compensation Lucent gets awarded will reflect the total number of Xbox 360's sold at the time the case is settled.
Article: http://www.ps3portal.com/xbox360/article/355.html
Wow, this is going to be a huge blow to Microsoft if Lucent gets it their way. When the article says the compensation could amount to the amount of 360's sold... Xbox would have lost all advantage over Sony and Nintendo in terms of earlier release.
Any comments guys?