4 ms·

Unity patents ECS, arrays of value types, and packing data

16 points by cuz-reasons 5y ago

cuz-reasons 5y ago
Patent is for the three combined. Filed (applied) June 2018. Granted March 2020. There is plenty of prior art for each. I didn't think "this+that" patents were allowed...
pentaphobe 5y ago
Astonishingly, this was filed in 2018 and published (?) in March of 2020 But from a quick google I'm seeing effectively no discourse about this Unfortunately the uspto.gov site is also lacking most of the referenced images and the text of the patent is needlessly dense and repetitive so i've no idea how broad/evil the patent is - but either way this looks shitty EDIT: this site also doesn't include the figures, but it does contain links to other Unity patents which are also of a typically "software patent trolling" form https://patents.justia.com/patent/10599560 https://patents.justia.com/patent/10599560
sandwichbop 5y ago
I'm not familiar with patent laws, what's the significant of this? I thought ECS was a software architectural pattern that any game engine could use, will engines no longer be allowed to implement ECS it without risk?
- techdragon 5y ago
  Rejected in Korea, and I cant imagine it standing up to an actual lawsuit anywhere else. The claims section is absurdly broad, it might as well have been a patent for putting USB sticks with data on them in boxes for shipping via Amazon warehouse staff. Not to mention the fact that this patent is beset with prior art https://github.com/search?o=asc&q=entity+component+system&s=updated&type=Repositories https://github.com/search?o=asc&q=entity+component+system&s=... entity component systems are not new and should not be patentable.
- novaleaf 5y ago
  It reminds me of the loading screen patent from the early 90's. You couldn't have any user interaction during a loading screen because if you did you violated some patent.
pentaphobe 5y ago
Looks like this conversation got continued elsewhere (with some actual patent lawyers responding) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28447672 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28447672

16 points by cuz-reasons 5y ago

Patent is for the three combined. Filed (applied) June 2018. Granted March 2020. There is plenty of prior art for each. I didn't think "this+that" patents were allowed...

pentaphobe 5y ago

Astonishingly, this was filed in 2018 and published (?) in March of 2020 But from a quick google I'm seeing effectively no discourse about this Unfortunately the uspto.gov site is also lacking most of the referenced images and the text of the patent is needlessly dense and repetitive so i've no idea how broad/evil the patent is - but either way this looks shitty EDIT: this site also doesn't include the figures, but it does contain links to other Unity patents which are also of a typically "software patent trolling" form https://patents.justia.com/patent/10599560 https://patents.justia.com/patent/10599560

sandwichbop 5y ago

I'm not familiar with patent laws, what's the significant of this? I thought ECS was a software architectural pattern that any game engine could use, will engines no longer be allowed to implement ECS it without risk?

techdragon 5y ago
Rejected in Korea, and I cant imagine it standing up to an actual lawsuit anywhere else. The claims section is absurdly broad, it might as well have been a patent for putting USB sticks with data on them in boxes for shipping via Amazon warehouse staff. Not to mention the fact that this patent is beset with prior art https://github.com/search?o=asc&q=entity+component+system&s=updated&type=Repositories https://github.com/search?o=asc&q=entity+component+system&s=... entity component systems are not new and should not be patentable.
novaleaf 5y ago
It reminds me of the loading screen patent from the early 90's. You couldn't have any user interaction during a loading screen because if you did you violated some patent.

pentaphobe 5y ago

Looks like this conversation got continued elsewhere (with some actual patent lawyers responding) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28447672 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28447672