Wow, I always state my opinion and this blew me away.
First; as indicated in a video I saw in the PSN world of make believe it was stated that the tacmap style of play was created after following a bad experience at socomquest playing a botched tacmap tournament their.
Second; per this post on socom.com http://forums.socom.com/t5/SOCOM-Clans-PS2-PS3/Socom-4-New-Horizon-Tacmap-Tournament/td-p/1153166/page/5 Shane jumps into this guys thread rather rudely and Shane again once admits that the UF and tacmap concept was taken from socomquest.com ran by holyghost.
Image one is from the owner of that site which Shane jumped into his advertising thread.
Image 2 is of Shane admitting once again the tacmap concept was taken from socomquest.com.
I read in this thread here at UF that socomquest.com goes to UFGL which is true, and was purchased same day or next day from Shane Bell after this thread was cretaed that he posted in for that other league.
Domain Name: SOCOMQUEST.COM
Registrar: ENOM, INC.
Whois Server: whois.enom.com
Referral URL: http://www.enom.com
Name Server: NS1.URGENTFURY.NET
Name Server: NS2.URGENTFURY.NET
Status: ok
Updated Date: 23-feb-2011
Creation Date: 23-feb-2011
Expiration Date: 23-feb-2012
Buying domains does not mean UF created something that was created by someone else that they took the method and process from.
Provisional Applications for Patent:
Receive immediate "Patent Pending" status and secure a priority filing date for a full 12 months.
A Provisional Patent can protect the way your invention works and how it's used. It's a quick and inexpensive way to start protecting your machine, manufactured item or business process.
What UF has is a Patent Pending which holds no merit in court for any form of infringement. It is a status created that a Utility Patent must be created in that 1 years time for the initial date of Patent Pending to be enforced.
When filing for a Provisional Patent you must answer a rather long questionnaire. Here are the beginning questions on all major websites that provide Patent assistance for a fee.
Do any of the following statements apply to your invention?
The invention was known or used in the U.S. before I invented it.
The invention was patented or published anywhere in the world before I invented it.
The invention has been in public use or on sale in the U.S. for over one year.
The invention was patented or published anywhere in the world more than one year ago.
So unless Shane Bell answered NO to those questions he could proceed with the Provisional Patent application. If he answers YES to them he would get a message something like this "We're sorry, but you will not be able to patent this invention. You may want to contact a local patent attorney for additional information and help with your invention".
I will take the other option that Shane Bell did and that is answer NO, which we all know is a lie, and he proceeded with the application. Those first questions are the main ingredient for a Patent.
UF did not create the method or process for a TacMap style tournament. They took the concept, method, and process from socomquest.com which the creators of UF participate in years ago before UF was even created. UF can not legally Patent something they did not create, nor own. A TacMap has been available on the world wide web for longer than UF has been around. It has been public knowledge for over one year, and has been used by many tournament websites over the years.
If Shane Bell and UF proceed to try to Patent something they did not create I am sure there would be legal ramifications for falsifying documents that must be filed with the United States.
Here is how I see it. Other websites are offering Tacmap tournaments, and UF is afraid that they might lose a share of something they never owned. It is pure dollar signs in the eyes of the UF owners, and they simply want to earn money, and money alone. They do not care about the community of close nit clans anymore, and they sure don't welcome competition.
Bandit99 you can say they can close an opened window all you want. They plain out are trying to take credit for something they did not create, and they are simply trying to control where clans play, and what other sites do. One thing that always happens here is that when shit hits the fan it is not the owners that defend themselves. It is the staff that have to step up.
I rest my case as I have always done. I see the crap and I don't like it. All clans can read into whatever they want. No one controls me, and I speak my mind whether its right or wrong.
What a pity what UF has become. Money Grubbers.
Best of luck with that false patent, and a lie of a creation to try to get it.