Case Update:

Following a confidential settlement by the parties, this case was dismissed with prejudice on January 17, 2008.

Original Post:

Forterra Systems, Inc. on November 3, 2005, filed a patent infringement lawsuit against the Avatar Factory for infringement of U.S. Patent No. 6,784,901, entitled "Method, System and Computer Program Product for the Delivery of a Chat Message in a 3D Multi-User Environment." Claim 1 of the '901 patent reads as follows:

1. A system for delivering a message between a sender and a recipient in a three-dimensional multi-user environment, wherein said three-dimensional multi-user environment maintains respective digital representations of the sender and the recipient, comprising:
a sender interface; and
a recipient interface, including a recipient viewport;
wherein said recipient interface receives the message from said sender interface, maps the message to a texture to generate a textured message, and renders said textured message at locations along a path in the three-dimensional multi-user environment, whereby the recipient can visually ascertain at least portions of the path of the textured message through said recipient viewport.

The lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of California, and is docketed as case no. 5:05-cv-04472-PVT. We will add this case to our tracking list and update of any significant developments.