Patent trolls threaten pornography for virtual reality and distance sex services

A screenshot from the page of one of the commercial services of virtual reality, which the company Virtual Immersion Technologies LLC cites as an example of violation of US patent No. 6,409,599

In the past few years, all around and only talk about virtual pornography. How cool it will be. Virtual reality technologies are becoming better and cheaper, so a real boom is expected in this area. A great commercial opportunity for many start-ups and entrepreneurs in countries where pornography is not prohibited. Russia is not among those countries. Here only the consumption of such content is allowed, but not its production or the development of appropriate software applications.

Nevertheless, even from the point of view of passive consumers of VR pornography and sex at a distance, it is interesting to see what problems the western porn industry is facing, which is preparing to introduce virtual reality technology. There are problems. Surprisingly, even the patent trolls got here.

In September 2016, the first real patent lawsuit in the field of virtual pornography became known. He was filed by the patent troll Virtual Immersion Technologies LLC. Apparently, the company is specifically formed to handle litigation with industry operators and extort money from a specific patent, as is done in other areas of IT.
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The claimant asserted its intellectual property rights to the technology of virtual pornography on the basis of ownership of US patent No. 6,409,599 .

The patent is called "Theatrical entertainment system of interactive virtual reality" (Interactive Virtual Reality Performance Theater Entertainment System). It was announced on July 17, 2000 (priority date July 19, 1999). The patent was issued on May 6, 2002 by Ham On Rye Technologies and specifically to inventors Randy and Susan Sprutam (Randy T. Sprout, Susan M. Sprout), who in the early 2000s really developed an entertaining interactive virtual reality system. True, she had nothing to do with pornography or the Internet.


“Theatrical Entertainment System of Interactive Virtual Reality”, US Patent No. 6,409,599

In December 2015, a patent was sold to 3D Immersive Interactive Insights, and on August 16, 2016, it was sold to Virtual Immersion Technologies LLC, which recently filed a series of lawsuits against patent infringers.

A patent describes a virtual reality system with immersion, in which a live actor or actress (performer) interacts with one or more participants in a performance. According to the description, the system provides for direct video broadcasting or broadcasting of pre-recorded video sequences, and provides tools for the actress (performer) and the participant to partially control the performance together.

The patent is not limited to VR only. Patent trolls can cash in on other virtual reality applications. But they are interested only in those areas where you can benefit. The promising industry of virtual pornography and teledildoniki with multimillion-dollar turnover just meets their criteria for extorting license fees for the use of a patent.

Already, Virtual Immersion Technologies LLC has filed several lawsuits (of course, to the court in the Eastern District of Texas). One of the lawsuits was filed against the British company TxtMe TV Ltd., which conducts business in the United States. In particular, it sells equipment to provide services that have a set of characteristics listed in the patent. As examples of the use of such equipment and the provision of such services in a lawsuit are the following pages:


These pages offer interactive entertainment services in virtual reality, when a client in a virtual reality helmet watches the actress and can control her actions. That is, this kind of interactive theatrical performance with elements of erotica.

The second victim of the patent troll - the company Secure Live Media LLC, which is accused of violating the same patent number 6,409,599. This company provides equipment and software for teledildoniki, that is, sex in virtual reality (sex at a distance). In this case, tactile sensors are installed on the genitals of the participant of the performance and the actress or of two participants of the performance. The following pages are cited as examples of violations:


The patent troll claims to collaborate with the true inventors Randy and Susan Sprutam, who help identify specific patent violators. Apparently, the plaintiff has a good chance of winning this trial. The judge may prohibit the defendant to use the virtual reality technology described in the patent in the United States and force them to compensate the right holder for the damage suffered. Alternatively, the parties agree on technology licensing.

Lawyers fear that as the VR porn industry matures, its young representatives will attract more and more attention from patent trolls and will become objects of their harassment. An increase in the number of patent applications for various applications of VR-pornography, specific technologies and innovative genres of pornography, as well as an increase in the number of patent lawsuits are expected. Lawyers do believe that many aspects of VR can be patented. The companies operating in this area themselves are not fully aware of the scale of the threat and the consequences of the massive application of patents on all aspects and areas of technology.


"Save the kidnapped goddesses" - one of the levels in the crowded crowd-free porn game "Girls of Arcadia"

Some industry members have already realized where the wind is blowing. For example, the developers of crowdfunding porn games in virtual reality " Girls of Arcadia " immediately after the appearance of information about lawsuits cleaned the page on the site Indiegogo, removing any mention of the game controller VirtuaDolls Game Controller . This dildo controller potentially violates the patent of Virtual Immersion Technologies, allowing sex with virtual characters.