Exactly, then add on the fact that baseball, football/rugby and tennis wouldn’t exist specifically because that. I understand patenting new inventions like electronics, vehicles and such, but concepts shouldn’t be available to patent, it only brings harm to the industry.

Whenever I think of this, I’m always reminded about how mini games on loading screens is the coolest and smartest idea ever, and yet it was patented for 20 years by Bandai Namco so no one else could do it. WHICH IS LAME.

There was also the stuff with the Crazy Taxi patent, I WAS pretty sure it was for the arrow guide telling the player where they need to go, but reading the patent, I might be thinking of some other game entirely. Though that being patented did end up giving us GTA’s gps system, which is better imo.

Regardless, it’s just annoying when they pull this crap. I can fully respect someone for inventing something and wanting credit and payment for it, but when people use this stuff SPECIFICALLY so other people can’t use it, is just lame and vindictive.

I feel patents really should just be banned for non-physical things, sure it allows for innovation and new ideas by limiting people to come up with sometimes better systems, but for the most part, it’s been incredibly harmful for progress, it’s also incredibly greedy.