Yahoo News Fact Check: About Terrence Howard's Claim to Joe Rogan He Holds Patent for Virtual Reality Technology
Claim:
Actor Terrence Howard holds a patent on augmented and virtual reality technology.
Rating:
Context:
Howard did file a patent application related to augmented and virtual reality technology in 2010. However, in 2013, this application was abandoned prior to being approved, which means Howard was ultimately not granted a patent for this technology.
On the May 18, 2024, episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast, "Hustle & Flow" actor Terrence Howard told host Rogan that he holds multiple patents, including the first one for augmented and virtual reality technology.
Howard told Rogan, "People say, 'What business do you have coming in here talking about science and all that? You're an actor.' You want to know what my first patent was? The entire AR/VR [augmented reality/virtual reality] world was built off of my first patent that was abandoned, because I paid $260,000 for the worldwide patent. But then my agents, my lawyers kept sending me these maintenance fees and annuities, and I'm like, these folks are just trying to shake me down. I'm not gonna pay this."
Here's a snippet of Howard's podcast appearance, in which he informs Rogan of his AR/VR patent application:
"If you pull up my 'World of Windows' patent, I think it's one of the first patents up there," Howard said. "I want you to see where your AR/VR world came from. And you look at the list of companies that has cited and didn't just cite it. They built their entire AR/VR world off of my 'World of Windows' patent."
It's true that, in 2010, Howard filed patent application US12/765,485, with the publication number US20100271394A1, titled "World of Windows," which relates to augmented and virtual reality technology, specifically a system for merging virtual reality with real-world sensory experiences. However, this application was abandoned in 2013, due to a "Failure to Respond to an Office Action," which means he does not presently hold an active patent for this technology.
According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Howard's 2010 patent application was for a "System and method for merging virtual reality and reality to provide an enhanced sensory experience."
On the podcast, Rogan read Howard's patent abstract out loud for the audience:
"A system and method of merging virtual reality sensory detail from a remote site into a room environment at a local site. The system preferably includes at least one image server; a plurality of image collection devices; a display system, comprising display devices, a control unit, digital processor and a viewer position detector. The control unit preferably receives the viewer position information and transmits instructions to the digital processor. The digital processor preferably processes source data representing an aggregated field of view from the image capturing devices in accordance with the instructions received from the control unit and outputs refined data representing a desired display view to be displayed on the one or more display devices wherein the viewer position detector dynamically determines the position of the viewer in the room environment and changes the desired display view corresponding to position changes of the viewer."
Howard, who further claimed he's filed 97 patents for various inventions including jewelry design and children's toys, told Rogan that "the universe backs me up and I have the proof of it," suggesting that many physicists do not have his pedigree when it comes to holding exclusive rights to an invention. "None of them have introduced a new form of flight with unlimited midair bonding. None of them have discovered four super symmetrical systems. This is what we've done. This is what the collective is able to do. When you put yourself into the divine space."
The "Empire" star expressed regret over not pursuing the AR/VR patent further, as he believed it had significant financial potential. The patent application notes it has been cited 31 times in patents filed by such companies as Sony, Microsoft, Amazon, Hewlett-Packard, Raytheon and IBM. But while these companies may indeed have referenced Howard's patent application in building their own AR/VR technology, it's unclear whether they also used any of his proprietary prototypes, specs or technology. It should also be pointed out that citing prior patent applications (such as Howard's) doesn't mean a potential patent holder agrees with or finds value in them; it simply shows that the applicant is aware of them and has considered their relevance, which can make the newer application stronger and more credible.
Over the course of his three-hour-plus interview with Rogan, Howard also shared his insights on the theory of gravity, telling the podcaster, "We're about to kill gravity. We're about to kill their God, gravity, and they don't want that," before continuing, "What I would love to do is invite Neil deGrasse [Tyson] and David Tong, or any astrophysicist, any chemist, anyone in any field of science, to sit down with me and examine these patents, examine the super-symmetrical systems that I've developed."
Filing a patent application is different from holding a patent. When you file for a patent — say, with the USPTO — it's a formal submission to a government authority seeking exclusive territorial rights to an invention.
But the act of filing, in which the filer provides a detailed description and claims, doesn't mean the applicant automatically get those rights. Over the course of several years, a patent examiner audits an application to see if the invention meets certain rules, evaluating for novelty, non-obviousness and usefulness, conducting searches for prior art and technology, assessing claims made in the applications, and communicating findings. If the invention passes this evaluation by a patent examiner, the applicant is granted a patent. Being a patent holder means one has legal protection against unauthorized making, using, selling or importing of the invention, and that one legally owns exclusive rights to the invention for a certain time, usually 20 years, within a particular country or region. So, while filing is an important step, it's receiving the patent grant that confers those rights.
Howard's patent application number, US12/765,485, was assigned when he filed his patent application on April 22, 2010, serving as a tracking identifier during the examination process before ultimate approval or rejection of his patent. He also received a publication number, US20100271394A1, on Oct. 28, 2010, which is another step in the patent process. However, he never received a unique patent number signifying the patent was granted, because he abandoned the patent in 2013, which he claimed was due to financial concerns, before it could be granted.
"This patent has earned over $7 trillion. And I haven't gotten a penny," Howard told Rogan. "Now there's eight years in which I would be making money off it but what they didn't know is they didn't understand how it was really supposed to work. So, they've just been taking this gun and been using it as a bat. And if they wanted to know I could show them how it really, really works but this is proof that my stuff is legit."
Snopes has previously written about patents, including Ford Global Technologies' patent application for a self-drive vehicle that can repossess itself, and Sony's patent for an interactive system that allows viewers to skip advertisements by yelling the brand name of the advertiser at their TV or monitor.
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