Why is Universal allowed to use the same technology as Fantasmic and World of Color?

I was looking at some patents Disney has and I found the patent for the mist screen projection used in Fantasmic and World of Color. Here is the patentent:

US05368228__.tif Page 1

I was wondering shouldn't Disney owning this patent make it impossible for Universal to use the same effect?

It's not that novel of a concept. By your logic, The Bellagio should try to shut down WOC because they had a dancing fountains show first. Universal saw the popularity of the technology and adapted it to make it their own. Disney should've put in WOCon the West Coast already after seeing its popularity but Universal beat them to the punch because they actually care about plussing their parks and their guest experiences

Patents protect a WAY of doing something - not what you do.

If you can get the same effect without impinging on the WAY the patent makes it's claims about - there is no stopping them.

Disney didn't patent the idea of a water screen - they patented a way of creating one. The prior art of other water screens is even mentioned in the patent. This one is all about putting water axially down a tube and the curved end that deflects and straightens the water for the screen.

Look at the whole patent for more info
United States Patent: 5368228

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TylerDurden

By your logic, The Bellagio should try to shut down WOC because they had a dancing fountains show first.

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By that logic, the Musical Fountain in Grand Haven, MI should try to shut down the Bellagio because they had a musical/dancing fountain show WAY before they did (Grand Haven's Musical Fountain has been around since 1964 and is the world's largest musical fountain).

Flynnibus said it right
Disney patented a nozzle that creates a water screen. There are many many ways you can throw water and project something on it. They can't stop anyone unless they have that specific way of making a water screen.

Whether or not Universal is allowed to use the same tech is irrelevant. They aren't using the same tech.

Universal already uses this technology:

Poseidon's Fury at Islands of Adventure

You'll see moving images in the water practically in the beginning of this show/ride.

Poisidens uses water curtains

Nope. Universal is not doing the actual fountains.

The fountains are being supplied by Aquatique
Aquatic Show International, water show and special effects

If you go to their homepage you'll be greeted with a picture of Disney Dreams that just opened at Disneyland Paris. (You can find an extensive list of their projects on their site and see that they've done work for a good deal of parks.)

Theme Park design firms don't build the attractions and shows for the main part. They DESIGN them. They hire outside companies like this to come in a build the rides.

I'm kind of amazed they got the patent for it. It looks an awful like like one of the spray nozzles we used to using designing chemical distribution towers for chem-plants many years ago... granted we weren't trying to use the spray for a movie screen, but this seems a little like a stretch in just using existing technology rather than creating something that unique.

It looks like it's just screens actual screens