[Random-bits] Yahoo's dispute over fantasy football patent

[James Love]

I missed this earlier December 29, 1999 story about the Fantasy Football
patent.

Jamie 

http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-1509490.html

Fantasysports files suit against Yahoo, others 
     By Patricia Jacobus
     Staff Writer, CNET News.com
     December 29, 1999, 4:50 p.m. PT 

An online sports start-up has set out to tackle Internet titans Yahoo,
CBS SportsLine, ESPN and lesser-known Sandbox Entertainment in a patent
infringement suit relating to popular online fantasy sports leagues.


<------------background info from patent--------------------->

USP 4,918,603
Computerized statistical football game 

Abstract

A method and apparatus for playing football. The football game is played
on a computer system and is based upon actual football performances by a
database of football players. The computer football game is played by a
league of individuals, each of whom can individually, or in groups, own
a franchise. Franchises select their players from an initial draft. The
starting players are then selected by individual franchise owners. Wins
and losses for the computer football games occur by calculating a total
of each individual player's points who make up a team. The calculation
of points is done automatically either manually or using actual weekly
performance by individual NFL players as the basis for determining
points. 

Claims:

1. A computer for playing football based upon actual football games,
comprising: 

means for setting up individual football franchises; 
means for drafting actual football players into said franchises; 
means for selecting starting player rosters from said actual football
players; 
means for trading said actual football players; 
means for scoring performances of said actual football players based
upon actual game scores such that franchises automatically calculate a
composite win or loss score from a total of said individual actual
football players' scores; 
said players' scores are for quarterbacks, running backs and pass
receivers in a first group and kickers in a second group;
and wherein said players in said first and second groups receive bonus
points. 

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said bonus points for
said first and seconds groups are based upon complex or difficult plays. 

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said complex and
difficult plays include extra points for a quarterback who receives or
runs for said touchdown, extra points for said running back for throwing
or receiving a touchdown pass, and extra points for said pass receive
for passing the ball or running for a touchdown. 



<------------info from web page--------------->

http://www.fantasysports.com/fspihist.html

In April 1990, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a patent (No.
4,918,603) covering the FFL game and its software process to the game's
co-inventors, Patrick J. Hughes, Michael B. Hughes and David C. Yager,
which expires in August 2008. In late 1990, Fantasy Sports Properties,
Inc. was incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia and shortly
thereafter obtained the exclusive licensing rights to the existing
intellectual property from the co-inventors in return for royalties to
be paid to the co-inventors based on net sales of the software products






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James Love, Director           | http://www.cptech.org
Consumer Project on Technology | mailto:love@cptech.org 
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Washington, DC 20036           | fax:   1.202.234.5176
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