Yahoo files lawsuit vs FB; says 10 patents violated

The lawsuit comes at a time when facebook is preparing for a mammoth initial share sale

PTI | March 14, 2012



Beleaguered Internet firm Yahoo! has sued social networking major Facebook, alleging violations of as many as ten patents including those related to online advertising and personal privacy.

Marking the escalation of patent disputes in the fast growing social media sector, Yahoo!'s salvo comes at a time when Facebook is preparing for a mammoth initial share sale.

Legal fights over alleged patent infringements are common in the technology space as reflected in the instances involving giants such as Apple, Samsung, HTC, Motorola and Microsoft.

Asserting that the patents relate to "cutting edge innovations", Yahoo! in the lawsuit has even claimed that Facebook's entire social networking model is based on its technology.

"Facebook's entire social network model, which allows users to create profiles for and connect with, among other things, persons and businesses, is based on Yahoo!'s patented social networking technology," according to the lawsuit filed with a Federal Court in California yesterday.

Yahoo!'s lawsuit also comes close on the heels of Scott Thompson taking over the reins of the Internet entity, grappling with severe competition from Facebook and many other online players.

"For much of the technology upon which Facebook is based, Yahoo! got there first and was therefore granted patents by the US Patent Office to protect those innovations," the lawsuit noted.

The Internet firm has pointed out that the patents relate to cutting edge innovations in online products including messaging, news feed generation, social commenting, advertising display and privacy controls.

These innovations dramatically improve user experience, privacy and security and enhance the ability of advertisers to connect with users, it added.

"Yahoo! is harmed by Facebook's use of Yahoo!'s patented technologies in a way that cannot be compensated for by payment of a royalty alone.

"Facebook's use of Yahoo!'s patented technologies has increased Facebook's revenue and market share because it does not have to recover the costs of time involved in the development of the technology," the lawsuit said.
 

Comments

 

Other News

Borrowing troubles: How small loans are quietly trapping youth

A silent crisis is playing out in the pocket of young India, not in stock markets or government treasuries, but in smartphones of college students and first-jobbers who clicked on the Apply Now button without reading the small print.  A decade ago, to take a loan, you had to do some paperwor

A 19th-century pilgrim’s progress

The Travels of a Sadhu in the Himalayas By Jaladhar Sen (Translated by Somdatta Mandal) Speaking Tiger Books, 259 pages, ₹499.00  

India faces critical shortage of skin donors amid rising burn cases

India reports nearly 70 lakh burn injury cases every year, resulting in approximately 1.4 lakh deaths annually. Experts estimate that up to 50% of these lives could be saved with adequate access to skin donations.   A significant concern is that around 70% of burn victims fall wi

Not just politics, let`s discuss policies too

Why public policy matters Most days, India`s loudest debates stop at the ballot box. We can name every major leader and recall every campaign slogan. Still, far fewer of us can explain why a widow`s pension is delayed or how a government school`s budget is actually approved. That

When algorithms decide and children die

The images have not left me, of dead and wounded children being carried in the arms of the medics and relatives to the ambulances and hospitals. On February 28, at the start of Operation Epic Fury, cruise missiles struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh school – officially named a girls’ school, in Minab,

The economics of representation: Why women in power matter

India’s democracy has grown in scale, but not quite in balance. Women today are active participants in elections, influencing outcomes in ways that were not as visible earlier. Yet their presence in legislative institutions continues to lag behind. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was meant to addres


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter