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Subject : Zynga Targeted in Patent Suits   
Date 2011-09-01 Visit 29314

It appears that Zynga, a social network gaming company, is being targeted in patent suits.
Agincourt Gaming, a new entrant into the social-gaming sector, filed a lawsuit against Zynga, alleging that Zynga violated two of its patents.
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.
The complaint states that Zynga has seen rapid growth and that the company¡¯s games on Facebook had over 270 million monthly users as of June.
¡°But Zynga¡¯s remarkable growth has not been driven by its own ingenuity,¡± Agincourt stated in the complaint.
¡°Rather it has been widely reported that Zynga¡¯s business model is to copy creative ideas and game designs from other game developers and then use its market power to bulldoze the games¡¯ originators. Consistent with this reported copycat business strategy, Zynga has also violated Agincourt Gaming¡¯s intellectual property rights.
¡± A recent filing by Zynga with the Securities and Exchange Commission put the company¡¯s internal valuation at $11 billion.
Agincourt Gaming¡¯s website touts a Facebook game called Pantheon.
It seeks unspecified monetary damages and a permanent injunction against Zynga.
Agincourt stated that it ¡°owns foundational patents that claim priority back to 1996 and cover the processes for credits-based online gaming and a prize redemption system based on the outcome of game play.
¡± Agincourt specifically pointed out that FarmVille, Mafia Wars, FishVille, and Zynga Poker, among other games, violate its patents.
The recent rise in patent litigation has stirred controversy with many renewing calls for a revamping of patent laws.
 

 

 

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