[Beowulf] How do I work around this patent?

[Jeremy Baker]

I joined this community many years ago to learn about GRID computing when I
was studying biology and the Linux file system, with future goals to write
interesting open source programs. It's the future and I just hit a wall in
the design process of writing code for my study.  This problem is related to
the boring world of business and IP patents. I like patents, but lately I
wonder...

RE: "...Worlds.com filed a lawsuit Dec. 24 against NCSoft in the U.S.
District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division, for
violating patent 7181690. The patent is described as a method for enabling
users to interact in a virtual space through avatars."

Online read on patents:
http://www.google.com/patents?id=wv5-AAAAEBAJ&dq=7,181,690

http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=BYoGAAAAEBAJ&dq=6,219,045

Can someone help me to better understand how these patents interact with the
open source bazaar method of programing, Linux, the law, GIS systems with
meta data that is essentially 3-D access for a user's avatar, etc? I am
having flow chart issues that are not flowing... and I am now back to the
world of research (patents) when I would rather be writing and compiling
software.

-- 
Jeremy Baker
PO 297
Johnson, VT
05656
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