Inside The Beltway Newspapers Lying About Net Neutrality? What A Surprise

Judge Lets Google Earth Fly On

from the fly-away dept

Mon, Jun 12th 2006 7:55pm — Mike Masnick

While Google is getting some attention today for releasing the latest version of Google Earth to coincide with the "Where 2.0" conference, it also may have waited to find out whether a court was going to shut the software down. On Friday, though, a judge denied a preliminary injunction that would have stopped Google from offering the software, due to a company that claims to own the patent on displaying real photographic content within a flight simulator environment. This follows the recent Supreme Court ruling that hopefully should make such patent injunctions less common. It's good to see judges not automatically jumping forward with injunctions in patent disputes, and at least allowing the rest of the case to play out.

13 Comments

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insydedan, 12 Jun 2006 @ 8:35pm

google earth is a flight sim emviorment?
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rijit (profile), 12 Jun 2006 @ 8:39pm

Google Earth Flight Simulator...
Well, kind of. You can program a tour, kinda like a slide show and it will fly you from one destination to the next. Thought there is no controls to work while it is during the flight and you never enter an airplane...
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Rodney, 12 Jun 2006 @ 9:10pm

What about MS Simulator
Why Google? Why not Microsoft Flight Simulator, isn't that a little bit closer to what they are claiming they own? Sounds nutz to me!
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Cary, 12 Jun 2006 @ 9:28pm

Prior Art
There is so much prior art to the patent claim by Skyline Software Systems that it should have been thrown out on a bad patent claim. How long must we endure these GAWD AWFUL patents that have abso-fricking-lutely no merit whatsoever?

Someone needs to go postal down at the Patent Office and clear out all the brain dead employees!!!
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DittoBox, 12 Jun 2006 @ 9:33pm

Dear Patent Owner:
Click here: http://www.google.com/search?q=Flight+Simulator+satellite

There, have a ball.
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Java Jones, 12 Jun 2006 @ 11:36pm

flight what???
I agree. Google earth isn't a flight simulator... unless you intend on pointing the plane down all the time... in which case you'd be a terrorist, but I do not believe the intent of Google earth is target practice... this is just stupid.
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KayakDog, 13 Jun 2006 @ 4:57am

How to Fly
Um, actually, you can fly in Google Earth. Normally you are in Trackball mode. Once you have zoomed in on a location hit Ctrl+g to enter G-Force mode. (Ctrl+t gets you back to trackball mode). The cursor will become an airplane. Dragging up/down = pitch up/down. Dragging left/right = bank left/right. Right drag up/down = change forward speed.
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meOIP, 13 Jun 2006 @ 4:58am

flight sim yes stupid case yes
Gearth is a flight sim of sorts. You don't walk on the ground ala an FPS you hover above it more like a helicopter than a airplane but you do 'fly,' maybe like superman. I would assume (as in i have not read nor care to) the idea is more based on the rendering of images at a distance based on direction velocity and speed. Speeking of speed this should have been thrown out with speed.
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onlyonejeep, 13 Jun 2006 @ 5:47am

google earth
i was impressed with the software when it was "keyhole earthviewer" but didnt want the 700 price tag. now google again makes stuff free for the masses. go google. to be able to zoom in at street level in real time with a piece of military grade software is amazing..forget the patent crap and enjoy technology people! the software kinda works like google maps ajax style nice and smooth no screen refreshing wait time..go google
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Jun 2006 @ 6:57am

It's not real time.
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Znikotine, 13 Jun 2006 @ 8:13am

Re: google earth
uhh yeah no shit lol its definately not real time i love the prog, never knew about this stupid stupid case. but my house is brand new januaryish of 05 its a vacant lot on gearth still bad ass program. someone suggested going postal at the patent office. i most definately agree

demonoid.com

information is free
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Frink, 16 Jun 2006 @ 12:36pm

Re: Re: google earth
assholr
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hadinoredin, 6 Oct 2006 @ 4:26pm

Re: Google Earth Flight Simulator...
I want fligh by simulator
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