August 29, 2010 by Andy Russell
News reports are suggesting that Paul Allen, one of the founders of Microsoft is undertaking legal action to sue a number of IT organisations for infringing patents which he set up in the 90s. Allen will be taking action against eleven firms, including Apple, Yahoo, Facebook, Google and eBay. He is claiming that technology which was first developed by his firm has been utilised by the companies.
Allen suggests that the patents relate to how search engines and online commerce is undertaken, and is accusing the online giants of stealing the methodology.
Google have commented: “This lawsuit against some of America’s most innovative companies reflects an unfortunate trend of people trying to compete in the courtroom instead of the marketplace. Innovation – not litigation – is the way to bring to market the kinds of products and services that benefit millions of people around the world.”
Similarly, A Facebook statement suggests that the action is “Completely without merit.”
Allen is protecting four patents which he established in order to protect technology which supports browsers in locating information, enabling advertising or using video to promote services. He also claims that his company funded a number of projects which resulted in the creation of Google. A spokesperson for Allen commented:
“We will be determining the precise figure for damages as this progresses. We will do whatever is necessary. This is an important step. It is the first time that Paul Allen has filed a suit like this. Some of the technology developed by people working for Paul Allen a decade ago is now key to this search and e-commerce space. It is part of our daily life on the web and has shown itself to be of value to the industry today .We are not asserting patents that other companies have filed, nor are we buying patent originally assigned to someone else. These are patents developed by and for Interval.”
Other companies being tackled for breach of patent include AOL, YouTube, Netflix, Office Depot, OfficeMax and Staples.
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