Future of Sex
tagline
  • Remote Sex
  • Virtual Sex & Entertainment
  • Robots
  • Human Augmentation
  • Sex Tech
  • Dating & Relationships
  • Bizarre Bazaar 18+
  • Future of Sex Community
  • Remote Sex
  • Virtual Sex & Entertainment
  • Robots
  • Human Augmentation
  • Sex Tech
  • Dating & Relationships
  • Bizarre Bazaar 18+
  • Future of Sex Community
  • The Future of Sex Is Non-binary Genital Surgery That Advances Bodily Agency

  • Is Equity Crowdfunding the Future of Sex Tech Investment?

  • Sex Tech News: New VR Sex Game, a User-Generated Erotica App and ‘Porn for TV’ Streaming Relaunches

  • Blyynd Brings on Investors to Build Anonymous Sexting App

  • A Fitbit for the Penis? The FirmTech Tech Ring Product Review

  • Sex Tech at CES 2023: 6 Brands Exhibited, Including an Anonymous Sexting App

  • Sex Tech Mixers, Hackathons & Conferences [UPDATED]

  • What Vibrating Buttplug Support in a Video Game Taught Us About the Future of Webcam Work

Future of Sex is supported by our readers. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Home > Sex Tech > What Will Happen When the ‘Teledildonics’ Patent Expires This Year? Sex Tech Experts Weigh In

Remote SexSex Tech
Home›Remote Sex›What Will Happen When the ‘Teledildonics’ Patent Expires This Year? Sex Tech Experts Weigh In

What Will Happen When the ‘Teledildonics’ Patent Expires This Year? Sex Tech Experts Weigh In

By Jenna Owsianik
June 2, 2018
10634
2

Is stigma too strong for innovation to thrive?

The clock is ticking for the so-called “teledildonics” patent, which has ruled the domain of Internet-connected sex toys since 1998. It’s crushed the dreams of sex tech startups and killed well-loved products.

On Aug. 17, 2018, its 20-year stranglehold is set to expire, effectively lifting restrictions and allowing virtually anyone to enter the remote sex market in the United States.

But what this means, exactly, for the future of teledildonics is not clear.

Will it mark the beginning of a new era for long-distance sex? Or perhaps accusations that the patent is responsible for stifling innovation are overblown. Maybe remote sex technology is too complex and the stigma against the sex tech industry is too strong.

Future of Sex spoke to four experts in sex tech to learn what they think will happen once the “teledildonics” patent finally bites the dust.

Arrested development

“We’re all screwed until August 2018,” says Kyle Machulis, aka qDot, a well-known engineer in sex tech who runs the teledildonics blog Metafish (formerly Slashdong).

Machulis created Second Life’s first sex toy interface in 2005. Part of his code still exists today. After posting it as public and open source, the Xcite company in Second Life took it to create its own commercial teledildonics network.

Yet more than a decade later he says there hasn’t been much progress in terms of hardware or imagination. One notable bonus, however, is devices can work on Bluetooth instead of being plugged in via USB.

The RealTouch is a a long-distance sex toy for remote sex.

He recalls the RealTouch, a male stroker that synched its movements to those of a touch-feedback dildo used by a model. It also moved according to the actions of encoded adult videos. A few years after its release in 2009, the Adult Entertainment Broadcasting Network was forced to take it off the market because it couldn’t afford the licensing fees under the patent.

“That was a really interesting fantastic mechanism. The stuff we're seeing come out these days still hasn't really matched that for a lot of people,” Machulis says.

He blames the lack of “engineering know-how” in the field on its poor profit potential. Companies don’t only need to guard against patent lawsuits. If they are producing adult content to pair with interactive sex toys, they need to keep their model documentation up to date at all times. This can put a big a strain on resources in the already underfunded sex tech industry.

Instead, we keep seeing more and more devices for penetrative sex. (Editor’s note: And let’s face it people, lots of us don’t get off this way!) Machulis also adds that many people find today’s strokers, the ones that use air bladders to stimulate the penis, inferior to RealTouch’s sliding friction.

So what does Machulis think will happen once the “teledildonics” patent expires? He didn’t explicitly say. But he hopes there will be less focus on penetration and more on erogenous zones; less on simulating sex and more on simulating touch and eroticism.

He points to Durex’s Fundawear project from 2013, which added remote-controlled vibration to underwear, as an example of the type of innovation he would like to see more of.

Complex sex

Even though ventures will be able to enter the remote sex market with one less patent to worry about, that still might not be enough to make it flourish.

“I feel pretty beat up from my experience with FriXion, though only a part of that has to do with patents,” says Seth, who co-founded the remote sex social network FriXion in 2013. (He does not disclose his last name when speaking to the media.)

The teledildonics platform never made it past the beta stage. It shut down after it became one of six sex tech companies sued for patent infringement in 2015 by TZU Technologies.

Legal documents from 2016 show FriXion was ordered to pay TZU Technologies $50,000, while Winzz (the maker of LovePalz products) was ordered to pay $56,100. However, cases against Vibease, Comingle, Internet Services, and WMM Holdings were dismissed after (mostly) undisclosed settlements—an outcome that may have stemmed from the companies’ joint efforts to challenge the patent's validity (this is speculation on my part right now).

Regardless, Seth questions whether FriXion’s model was too complex and if that could be a factor that keeps teledildonics developers of the market in the future. For instance, comparing his project's struggles to the success of the Autoblow 2, a relatively straightforward male sex toy with smaller goals in terms of innovation and funding, was a “wakeup call” for him.

“The effort required is still big enough that if a five-digit licensing fee would’ve stopped you last year, you probably don’t have enough leverage to be successful next year,” he says.

 

The adult social network FriXion connects long-distance lovers in an intimate way.

Sex tech shame

The stigma against sex-related products and services also shares blame for holding back teledildonics—and may continue to even without patent interference.

“Running a tech startup and getting the funding and traction necessary with a long view on profits and a short view on innovation is hard, even harder when boxed into the ‘adult’ market and cut out of many traditional tech startup tools and paths,” says Seth.

He’s far from being the only sex tech entrepreneur with this experience.

Andrew Quitmeyer of Comingle, which also closed down last year and settled with TZU in September 2016 for $0, says his company was barred from certain banks, using the newsletter service MailChimp, as well as growth opportunities.

“A sucky thing, for example, was we would get invited to many different startup incubator-type things, but then rejected later because ‘they don't do sex,’” he says.

“My experience in the sex tech industry left me so sour I would never go back into it. It's a wonderful field full of all kinds of neat interactions, but it's full of so much awful s*** to navigate.”

The future of teledildonics

When first researching this topic, I was optimistic that once the “teledildonics” patent (sometimes referred to as the ‘268 patent) expired that the field of remote sex would take off in terms of innovation.

Though after speaking to the sex tech entrepreneurs, Seth and Andrew in particular, it's clear that navigating the industry is challenging regardless of the patents involved. They both seem burned out from working in a sector that's unfairly discriminated against because it relates to sex. My rose-colored glasses are starting to crack.

One thing to be thankful for, however, is that the “teledildonics” patent can’t be extended, confirms sex tech lawyer Maxine Lynn of Unzipped Media. Nevertheless, she says it may continue to affect the sex tech industry for several years:

“Even after the expiration, litigation may not disappear completely for a while, as lawsuits can be brought after a patent expires for damages that occurred during the patent's lifetime (more particularly, up to six years prior to filing of the complaint),” Lynn wrote in an email.

Yet the sex tech lawyer expects growth in the industry for both new and older companies.

“Established teledildonics companies have been operating over the last several years, even in the face of the ‘268 patent. I believe that after the patent expires in August of 2018, such companies will expand their businesses at an increased pace in light of a more open pathway. In addition, we're going to see more startups enter the field. They won't have this patent looming over them, knowing what it has meant for the startups that came before them.”

Personally, I still believe there is an incredible future for teledildonics. I'm just less clear on when that future will be.

What do you think will happen once the patent kicks the bucket on Aug. 17, 2018?

Image sources: RealTouch, Frixion

Jenna Owsianik

Jenna Owsianik is a Canadian journalist and sex tech expert. Since 2014 she has been Editor-in-Chief of FutureofSex.net, the world’s leading publication on how technology is changing human sexuality, today and tomorrow.

Jenna is the primary author of the Future of Sex Report (2016).

Her expertise covers state-of-the-art sex technologies and the major fields driving innovations in intimacy: robotics, virtual reality, remote sex (teledildonics), immersive adult entertainment, human augmentation, virtual sex, and sexual health.

A trained journalist with a Masters of Journalism from The University of British Columbia, Jenna’s reporting has appeared on Futurism.com, Al Jazeera English, CTV British Columbia online, CBS Sunday Morning, CBS 60 Minutes, Global News, and CKNW Radio in Canada and the United States.

As a sex tech industry consultant, she is especially passionate about helping companies deliver accessible services and products to people with disabilities and other underserved communities.

Jenna also runs the sites SexforEveryBody.com, a sex-positive, body-positive online magazine that promotes inclusive sex education; and DisabledSexGuide.com, an adult resource on sex, disability, and erotica.

In 2013, Jenna won two Canadian Online Publishing Awards for her work on The Pain Project, a multimedia site on global access to palliative care.

She won second place at the 2011 Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism’s Public Health category for her participation in the documentary Freedom From Pain.

Jenna has an Honors BA in Women’s Studies and Feminist Research as well as a French minor from The University of Western Ontario. She spent a year studying at L’Université Lumière Lyon 2 in Lyon, France.
Previous Article

Everything You Need to Know About Treating ...

Next Article

Could VR Therapy Help Survivors Heal from ...

Related articles More from author

  • velvet thruster lilac
    Sex Tech

    High-Tech Sex Toys: Origins from Ancient Dildos and Classic Vibrators

    November 18, 2021
    By Future of Sex
  • Remote Sex

    CamSoda’s BlowCast Sells Virtual Oral Sex Sessions for $1

    November 23, 2016
    By M. Christian
  • Singer Demi Lovato releases sex toy called "Demi Wand."
    Sex Tech

    Sex Tech News: Bumble CEO on Post-Pandemic Dating, XBIZ Exec Award Nominees & ’90s Phone Sex

    November 15, 2021
    By Jenna Owsianik
  • Maude products
    Sex Tech

    10 Best Places to Shop for Gender-Neutral Sex Toys and Sexual Health Products

    July 3, 2021
    By Connor Leshner
  • Sex Tech

    Break the Binary: What Sex Toys Say about the Industry and Ourselves

    July 8, 2017
    By M. Christian
  • A dress changes its transparency based on the wearer's body heat.
    Sex Tech

    Dressing for Tomorrow: How Designers Are Mixing Technology, Eroticism and Fashion

    November 11, 2015
    By M. Christian

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  • Remote SexRobots

    Why ‘My Date With A Robot’ Brings Intriguing Twist to Future Sexuality

  • Sex Tech

    LELO HEX Re-engineers the Condom for Better, Safer Sex

  • Apples Help With Fertility Research
    Sex Tech

    Is Apple’s Help with Fertility Research a Positive or Negative Development?

Virtual Lust is a 3D interactive sex game.
3DXChat
Discover the best virtual sex parties and 3D sex worlds.
  • TOP REVIEWS

  • Porn for TV logo (computer screen graphic with pink u shapes and a mouse cursor).

    Sex Tech News: New VR Sex Game, a User-Generated Erotica App and ‘Porn for TV’ ...

  • The Blyynd logo with two screens. One has a chat screen and one has the sexual desire options listed.

    Blyynd Brings on Investors to Build Anonymous Sexting App

  • FirmTech Tech Ring

    A Fitbit for the Penis? The FirmTech Tech Ring Product Review

  • Sex Tech at CES 2023: 6 Brands Exhibited, Including an Anonymous Sexting App

  • What Vibrating Buttplug Support in a Video Game Taught Us About the Future of Webcam ...

  • Is Virtual Reality Dating Going Mainstream?

  • Sex Doll Brothels: Reality vs. Expectation

  • Replika AI Chatbot saved human marriage

    How Replika’s AI Chatbot Saved One Man’s Human Marriage

  • Meet the Humans Forming Romantic Relationships With AI

    Replika Romance: Meet the Humans Forming Romantic Relationships With AI

  • The future of sex is mind-reading AI that reveals your deepest, most unconscious fantasies

    The Future of Sex Is Mind-Reading AI That Reveals Your Deepest, Most Unconscious Fantasies

  • Sex Robots Are Getting Closer to Feeling Human-Like With Second Skin Materials

    Sex Robots Are Getting Closer to Feeling Human-Like With Second Skin Materials

  • R/gonewildaudio's gender inclusive audio erotica

    /R/gonewildaudio: An Array of Free, Inclusive and Categorized Audio Erotica

  • Fantasy Inspired Sex Toy by Tentickle Toys

    Out of This World: How Fantasy-Inspired Sex Toys Could Be the Next Big Trend

  • Virtual Sex in the Metaverse

    Virtual Sex Will Soon Become a Reality in the Metaverse

  • OnlyBans Game Play As A Sex Worker

    Play as a Sex Worker in New Onlybans Game

  • Black chess pieces laying across an orange background.

    Teledildonics and Chess: The Unexpected Possibilities That Could Enhance Sex

  • A couple with a woman sitting on a man's lap. They each are holding the Tenuto 2 with one hand.

    Tenuto 2 Erection-Enhancing Vibrator Rises To The Occasion

  • Woman looking at a laptop in a bed. You can see a blurry European city outside of the window.

    Here’s How Often Each European Country Is Searching For Sex Toys Online

  • A Woman Showing Her Smartphone.

    Disclosing Trans-ness on Dating Apps

  • Image of Emma the AI bot.

    Will Young Women of the Future Feel Pressure to Perform Like Robots?

  • Realistic Sex Games

    Review of the Best Sex Games and Most Realistic Sex Simulators of 2021 [UPDATED]

    0
  • Multiplayer Online Sex Games

    Review of the Best Massively Multiplayer Online Sex Games

    0
  • Sex Games for Mac

    The Best Sex Games for Mac

    0
  • foot-fetish-sex-games-girlvania

    Foot Fetish Games That Will Knock Your Socks Off

    0
  • The Best RPG Sex Games of 2021

    0
Fantasy sex game Dream Sex World lets you explore your wildest desires.
Multiplayer sex world Red Light Center continues to impress with its massive userbase and incredible sex graphics.
A blonde and light-skinned love doll face sppears next to the text Go now realdollxthe future is real.
  • 27KFollowers

Like Us on Facebook

Newsletter Subscription

Sign up for our monthly newsletter sharing the very best of the future of sex from our publication and others across the web.

DreamSexWorld offers a stunning XXX 3D world filled with incredibly interactive erotic experiences.

Like Us On Facebook

Facebook Pagelike Widget

RLC_ad_v2

Tweets by @FutureofSex
Future of Sex Report

Follow us

  • Home
  • About
  • ADVERTISE
  • Contribute
  • Story Ideas
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
© 2011 - 2022 Future Exploration Network
This website or its third-party tools use cookies to improve user experience and track affiliate sales. To learn more about why we need to use cookies, please refer to the Privacy Policy.

By clicking the agree button or continuing to browse through the website, you agree to the use of cookies. Accept Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT