OnLive Nabs Cloud Gaming Patent

The patent filed by OnLive CEO Steve Perlman in 2002 has finally been granted, causing some to wonder exactly how the foray into cloud gaming will play out. Though the patent isn’t a universal lockdown on all manner of streaming gaming, it does give Perlman considerable ownership over the concept. So far he has declined to comment if he can or will use this patent to sue other entrants to the cloud gaming field like David Perry’s Gaikai.

The abstract for the filing describes a physical apparatus that can transmit game data to and from a WLAN (the Internet). Though the abstract specifically says that the wording of the abstract has no bearing on the breadth of the patent, if it applies only to physical devices built purely for streaming, Perlman would not be able to sue Gaikai under the auspices of this patent. From the sounds of it, this patent is purely on the Microconsole – the physical hardware that decodes the video stream from the OnLive service.

But one could claim that once the streaming software is on a computer, that computer then becomes the physical apparatus as described, and thus falls under the provisions of this patent. Either way, Gaikai and OnLive are not direct competitors, so a lawsuit as such probably wouldn’t pop up anyway. Odds are we’ll hear more about this from Perlman after the lawyers have finished combing through the filing.

[via VentureBeat]