he Sony PlayStation 3 's IBM-built Cell processor infringes a
1991 hardware patent and all existing units should be impounded and
destroyed. That's according to a complaint filed against Sony which
alleges that the PS3 Cell processor infringes US patent number
5,056,000.
If the complaint is upheld, Sony could amazingly be forced to
destroy all its Cell processors and to redesign the PlayStation 3
from the ground up.
The lawsuit was filed by US company Parallel Processing which says
its patent, "Synchronized Parallel Processing with Shared Memory"
was issued in October of 1991. The patent explains how new
processor architecture could break a program "into smaller
concurrent processes running in different parallel processors," and
then resynchronize them. This would make processing times much
quicker.
"On information and belief, Defendant Sony Corporation of America
has infringed and continues to infringe on the '000 Patent by
making, using, importing, offering for sale and/or selling products
among other things, covered by one or more claims of the '000
Patent, including, but not limited to, Sony Playstation 3," states
Parallel Processing in the lawsuit.
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PS3 in more hot water
It says that Sony's infringement of its patent has caused it
irreparable harm and monetary damage.
Parallel Processing wants all PlayStation 3 consoles which use the
Cell processor (that would be all of them) to be impounded and
destroyed. It also wants Sony to say sorry, and to reimburse all
the money it claims to have lost.
Of course, it's extremely unlikely that Sony will be forced to do
any of those things, but it's certainly something to keep an eye
on.
god bless those who brought sony machine
