darkSpyro

so can just anyone copy skylanders and make action figures work with there video game, or dos skylanders hold rights that say only they can do that?
im guessing that if anyone can copy them, were gonna see an explosion of skylanders copies in the next few years

Activision doesn't own exclusive rights to the technology. The Nintendo Wii U has this same technology built into the screen on the controller. Games can use this screen as the portal, I'm sure there will be plenty of games that start selling characters. The first game that you can do this with was just announced, it's Rayman Legends...

Well, they have rights to the characters, but not the tech featured. RFID chips aren't new, but the games/toys functionality is.

Nodnod. This isn't exactly a new concept - it's the first one where toys could interact across games on multiple established platforms, and possibly the first case where the toys store levels/abilities within themselves, but the concept of "Toy A is purchased which allows for special features in Game B" has existed for years.

And if you could copyright something THAT widespread, Skylanders would never have been able to come into existence in the first place. You'd get seemingly unrelated things like Webkinz claiming they owned the rights to having codes attached to purchased toys that could be entered on a website because they did it before Skylanders did.

Skylanders rights basically boil down to the economic claim to have done it first, and every subsequent game featuring similar technology, even if it's from a huge franchise like Pokemon, will be viewed in the public eye as a Skylanders ripoff. Legally, they have no recourse here, but in the court of public opinion, first generally means best.