Paltalk Drops Data-Sharing Patent Case Against Game Makers

Paltalk Holdings has voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit that accused a number of prominent game publishers of infringing on a patent for "controlling interactive applications over multiple computers," according to late-October court filings obtained by Gamasutra. Sony Computer Entertainment America, Sony Online Entertainment, Activision Blizzard, Turbine and NCSoft were all named in the 2009 lawsuit, which has been dismissed with prejudice thanks to a voluntary agreement from Paltalk. The reasons behind Paltalk's abrupt decision to halt the case are unknown, though Runescape developer Jagex earned a dismissal for its part in the case last year. That legal effort reportedly cost the developer upwards of seven figures, however. Microsoft faced a similar, $90 million lawsuit from Paltalk in 2009, but the Xbox maker quickly settled that complaint out of court.