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Re:Nintendo Files Suit for Infringement of Patent Rights Aga... by wang_li on Thursday September 19, 2024 @11:24AM (#41592890)
>Does that describe Laser Chess?

Yes. Very much it does. It's been 35 years since I played Laser Chess, so perhaps there are some minor differences in the rules. But it describes a game so close to Laser Chess that it immediately brought the game to mind.

Re:Nintendo Files Suit for Infringement of Patent Rights Aga... by shagie on Thursday September 19, 2024 @11:52AM (#41593151)
In laser chess, pieces have different movement rules.

You can move a piece 1 or 2 spaces in a single direction (1 east, or 2 east, but not 1 north east unless that was used as two moves). You could also rotate on your turn. Firing a laser was optional.

In Khet, you can move one piece 1 adjacent spot (any of the 8) or rotate (not both) and you always fired the laser.

The rules are different - and the rules are patented.

If you had different rules that weren't covered by the claims, it would be a different game.

Laser strategy game board - https://patents.google.com/patent/US20080054563A1/en - that's a different game that was patented after Khet.

https://youtu.be/4nQaWJEBFNk (and if you want to play a digital version https://store.steampowered.com/app/312720/Khet_20/ ) vs https://archive.org/details/laserch or https://archive.org/details/msdos_Laser_Chess_1994

They are different games with different rules.

Re:Nintendo Files Suit for Infringement of Patent Rights Aga... by wang_li on Thursday September 19, 2024 @12:28PM (#41593568)
It seems to me like taking chess, same pieces, same game board, same movement, same rules except you can't en passant in the A or H file. Then patenting it. It doesn't seem novel enough qualify for a patent when there is something so similar 20 years prior.
Re:Nintendo Files Suit for Infringement of Patent Rights Aga... by shagie on Thursday September 19, 2024 @12:32PM (#41593619)
Yep. Go for it.

Strategic board game https://patents.google.com/patent/US6981700B2/en

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arimaa

While that plays with animal pieces, there's a 1:1 mapping from traditional chess pieces to Arimaa pieces and it's played on the same board.