no they aren't

the entire BDA owns Blu-ray

 Well, there are still HD downloads on Xbox Live, right?

The worst part is these patent trolls always wait until there's a lot of stuff in distribution or the thing is successful before attempting a lawsuit so that it'll put more pressure on the companies to pay them off.

Edit:  And I know it comes from Gamespot, but that really is a terrible title. :P

The problem is that making anything sufficiently sophisticated nowadays, the way to get there is plastered with patents. There are certainly over 100 patents involved when making a blue laser diode, and who's to blame if the company that makes it does not discover every single patent? Happens all the time, even without the widely known "patent trolling". Her patents seem to be solid, so we can expect that the companies are going to settle out of court for a nondisclosed sum as quickly as possible.

I love how, without any real investigation whatsoever, everyone jumps in with the whole "patent troll" thing...
Could it be that, GASP, someone is using her technology and, GASPER, she never gave them the OK? I mean for the love of god people, read okr's summery of the thread, 'cause he is pretty much dead on.

^^ yep. That's what I thought when I say okr's post. So many others don't read the other posts and just jump to conclusions.

Thanks @ mrjuju & superchunk.

@ Most other posters: Use Brain Training. Nintendo claims it helps (although not with me, I'm afraid: Dr. Kawashima sometimes says my brain is 60 or even older).

I think we all do not know enough about this subject, I only did some quick google research after reading superchunk's initial post.

But don't worry - nothing is in danger. None of the companies, none of the technologies. The case will be settled out of court some day just as the Rothschild vs. Philips case 11 days ago. The agreement was obviously that Philips gave millions to sponsor a "Philips Electronics Professorship" at her former university, Columbia University, NY (that's the ironic & funny part).

This is a very interesting topic. From her biography she was actually a pioneer and one of the world's leading scientists for this technology over decades. I think it's also interesting that she started with her work on this technology in the 50s, was hired then by Philips and worked for them from 1960 to 1985, before she became a professor at Columbia university.

Very interesting lady, indeed.

Traffic lights have been around forever, why crab about it now?

 So has almost every technology listed on there... Why she's suing it now?

Well, I'm sure she's only suing them for pride and is willing to donate all the money to a worthy cause. :P

And the random rant goes on...