The following link is for an article specifying Sony, as well as other MMO providers getting sued for patent violations, for software usage.

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=16280

Man I can't wait 'till I move out of Texas. This state is so backwards on judicial enforcement its ridiculouse. But then again, if you elect your judges, your guaranteed to get the most corrupt judges possible.

I can only hope that Sony and the other companies mentioned in the lawsuit win. But reading the article, I doubt that will happen. It will most likely be easier to settle out of court, pay a small fine (Well, what a multi-million dollar company considers small) and move on. And if some of the smaller company's settle, will only force the larger companies to settle along with them.

It is the same lawyers who won a suit against microsoft regarding microsoft word, and its ability to break down html in that software. It cost microsoft about 200m and paying some licensing fees. I would say it kinda of breaks down to what is inside the engine. Whether or not their licensed engine in the case of everquest with the unreal engine, uses software that had prior been patented, or was in use before software was patented.