Facebook Settles Oculus VR Lawsuit With ZeniMax (techcrunch.com) 26
"Gaming giant ZeniMax Media's lawsuit against Facebook over the misuse of intellectual property related to the founding of Oculus VR has finally been settled," reports TechCrunch. In a statement, ZeniMax CEO Robert Altman said, "We are pleased that a settlement has been reached and are fully satisfied by the outcome. While we dislike litigation, we will always vigorously defend against any infringement or misappropriation of our intellectual property by third parties." From the report: At the trial's conclusion, the judge awarded ZeniMax $500 million in damages to be paid by the defendants, including Facebook and some of the Oculus VR co-founders, a figure that Facebook appealed and had reduced to $250 million. Following the initial verdict, ZeniMax sought an injunction on sales of Facebook's Oculus Rift headset, claiming the device violated key IP. Terms of this settlement weren't disclosed. The trial was notable in that it offered a rare moment on the stand for a number of Facebook executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg. It also gave rare insight into the details surrounding the company's founding and acquisition.
Facebook (Score:1)
I'm so glad I didn't back Oculus when it was on Kickstarter. I would have been pissed off about hearing Facebook was buying Oculus. I don't have Facebook on my phone, I don't use it on my computer, and I sure as hell will not wear it on my head.
Re: (Score:3)
Those who backed Oculus got way more than what they initially paid for. Not only did they get the RC2 version of the headset, which is what was promised, but they also got the final version. So backers got a really good deal.
But the facebook deal really soured a lot of people on the company. And for a good reason.
Re:Facebook (Score:5, Interesting)
Those who backed Oculus got way more than what they initially paid for.
Do you believe Oculus kickstarter campaign would have worked had they mentioned up front intent to sell the company to Facebook?
Not only did they get the RC2 version of the headset, which is what was promised, but they also got the final version. So backers got a really good deal.
The final version establishes a persistent connection to Facebook 24x7x365 and sports a predatory privacy policy asserting Facebook has the right to rummage through your system for ANY reason. The reality is they got screwed.
Re: Facebook (Score:2)
And nobody out here cared.... (Score:2)
How about the John Carmack angle? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I'm sure that Carmack signed agreements at some point that any novel technologies he developed while on the clock were owned by Zenimax. And even though the CEO claims "While we dislike litigation" which made me spit water all over my keyboard, they are no stranger to legal proceedings.
He should have known better, and now Facebook pays the price. If only both of them could have somehow lost.
Re: (Score:1)
I am very glad that people are finally realizing what an awful company Bethesda is, even if it is over som