Interval Licensing Sues Facebook, Google, and 9 Others Over Patented Web Technology

Interval Licensing, a Seattle-based company owned by billionaire Paul Allen, has filed an amended lawsuit against Facebook, Google, and nine other companies, claiming they infringed on patented web technology. The lawsuit revisions an original suit filed in August and targets four patents related to information systems, computer science, and communications technology developed by Interval Research, which Allen co-founded in the 1990s. Interval said Google and Yahoo's news sites, search advertising systems, and email spam filters infringe on two of the patents by displaying related headlines, recommending related products, and sending alerts to users without disturbing their main activity.

Key Takeaways:

• Interval Licensing has filed an amended lawsuit against Facebook, Google, and 9 other companies, claiming they infringed on patented web technology.
• The lawsuit targets four patents related to information systems, computer science, and communications technology developed by Interval Research, which Allen co-founded in the 1990s.
• Two of the patents are related to the way websites suggest additional, related content to what's being shown on the screen.
• Interval said Google and Yahoo's news sites, search advertising systems, and email spam filters infringe on these patents by displaying related headlines.
• The companies' features on Netflix and eBay that recommend related products or products based on a user's shopping or movie-watching history also infringe on these patents.
• The other two patents are related to the way computer programs and websites send alerts to the user without disturbing their main activity on the computer.
• Interval says the infringing products include AOL's instant messaging system, Google's Gmail notification software, and Yahoo's news widget, among many other items.
• Interval is asking for damages and, going forward, either royalties or a ban on the companies' use of the technology.
• Paul Allen, the company's owner, co-founded Microsoft with his high school friend Bill Gates in 1975.

Statistics:

• Interval Research was founded in the 1990s.
• Interval is asking for damages in the amended lawsuit.
• The company is seeking royalties or a ban on the use of the technology from the defendants.
• Paul Allen invested over $100 million in Interval Research.
• Interval Licensing was founded in Seattle.
• The company has filed two lawsuits against the defendants, with the first one being dismissed due to lack of infringing product names.

Sources:

• "Interval Licensing sued." Waterloo Region Record, 2010