Boston, MA, March 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Chief Judge and two other Judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit heard oral arguments on March 8, 2022 in the appeal filed by Worlds Inc. (OTCQB: WDDD). Worlds has asked this Court to reverse an adverse District Court judgment from April 30, 2021 that favored defendants Activision Blizzard Inc., Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., and Activision Publishing, Inc. Worlds has been in litigation with the Activision defendants since 2012, with Worlds asserting that the Activision defendants infringed Worlds’ patents directed to three-dimensional (3-D) virtual world technology and network architecture. This litigation was stayed in 2015, while Worlds defended its patents against six validity challenges brought before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Worlds’ patents all survived these challenges. In 2020, the litigation stay was lifted, and the parties progressed through extensive discovery until the District Court ruled that Worlds’ patents were invalid under 35 U.S.C. § 101 as directed to patent-ineligible subject matter. Worlds appealed.
During the appeal oral argument, the Federal Circuit judges engaged both Worlds’ attorney and Activision’s attorney in a meaningful dialogue regarding the merits of Worlds’ appeal. The judges acknowledged Worlds’ past innovations and the news articles applauding Worlds’ virtual reality development in early 1995, and inquired about the scope of the patent claims on appeal. Upon conclusion of the oral argument, the judges took the case as submitted, which means that the judges will privately reevaluate the briefs and arguments before deciding how to rule on the appeal.
“The appellate judges were well-prepared for the argument today, and their comments suggest that they understand Worlds’ role in the development of 3-D virtual world technology,” Worlds CEO Thom Kidrin stated. “While the judges asked challenging questions to each of the parties’ advocates, we strongly believe that our arguments have merit and support a reversal of the District Court’s unfavorable ruling on subject matter eligibility. We look forward to receiving the Court’s ruling on this appeal.”
A copy of Worlds’ briefing to the Federal Circuit may be obtained from the U.S. Government’s PACER system (https://pacer.uscourts.gov/) and via the link on Worlds’ website worlds.com/press.php/. The audio for the argument may be retrieved from the following link: https://oralarguments.cafc.uscourts.gov/default.aspx?fl=21-1990_03082022.mp3
Kidrin reiterated Worlds’ groundbreaking role in virtual world technology. “Worlds created and patented the technology and network architecture that enabled us to create the first and longest continuously operating Metaverse, and our intellectual property serves as the foundation for many of the massive multiplayer online role-playing games that dominate virtual reality online gaming today,” Kidrin noted. “We strongly believe in the validity of our patents and their role in the development of the online gaming enjoyed by millions of people today. We hope that Worlds will prevail in this appeal, and return to District Court and our infringement case against the Activision defendants.”
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About Worlds Inc.
Worlds, Inc. (OTCQB: WDDD), is a leading intellectual property developer and licensee of patents related to 3-D metaverses. Worlds developed the technology that enabled the creation of the first and longest continuously operating 3-D virtual world and serves as the foundation for many of the massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). The Company has a portfolio of 10 U.S. patents for multi-server technology for 3-D applications. The earliest of these patents issued on an application filed November 12, 1996. A provisional patent application, serial number 60/020,296, was filed on November 13, 1995. These patents are all related, and disclose and claim systems and methods for enabling users to interact in a virtual space. For additional information about Worlds, Inc., please visit: www.Worlds.com.
Contacts:
Media Relations: Julie Shepherd, Accentuate PR, 847_275_3643, julie@accentuatepr.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains certain forward-looking statements and information relating to Worlds Inc. that are based on the beliefs of Worlds' management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events including estimates and projections about its business based on certain assumptions of its management, including those described in this Release. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risk and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Additional risk factors are included in the Company’s public filings with the SEC. Should one or more of these underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as “hoped,” “anticipated,” “believed,” “estimated,” “should,” “preparing,” “expected” or words of a similar nature. The Company does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.
