Paul Allen Refiles Patent Infringement Suit Against Leading Tech Companies

Strategic Insights -

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has refiled a patent infringement suit against 12 leading tech companies, including AOL, Apple, eBay, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Staples, Yahoo, and YouTube. The suit alleges that these companies have infringed on patents related to attention management and alerting users to items of current interest, which are covered by US patent 6,034,652 and its continuation US patent 6,788,314. The patents were granted to Interval Research, a company co-founded by Allen in 1992.

Key Takeaways:

  • The refiled suit alleges that the defendants' products and services, including Android, infringe on the patents held by Interval Research.
  • The patents in question cover attention management and alerting users to items of current interest, and are used in various web sites, services, e-mail systems, and other applications.
  • The suit specifically alleges that Android infringes on US patent 6,034,652 and US patent 6,788,314, which are titled "Attention Manager for Occupying the Peripheral Attention of a Person in the Vicinity of Display Device."
  • The suit seeks an injunction against all defendants, including their licensees and resellers, and could result in a pay-off verdict of $500 million or more.
  • The refiled suit increases Allen's chances of winning the suit, as the court previously found that he had a legitimate claim due to his involvement with early Internet innovation.
  • The suit could have significant implications for Android's usability, as an injunction could lead to a degradation of the user experience.

Statistics:

  • 12 leading tech companies are defendants in the refiled suit.
  • 4 patents from Allen's cache of 300 patents are involved in the current suit.
  • The suit alleges that the defendants' product and services infringe on 2 patents: US patent 6,034,652 and US patent 6,788,314.
  • The alleged infringement could result in a pay-off verdict of $500 million or more.
  • The suit has the potential to significantly impact Android's usability, as an injunction could lead to a degradation of the user experience.

Sources:

  • Florian Mueller's blog, reference not provided
  • Seattle Times, reference not provided
  • Interval Research's patents: US patent 6,034,652 and US patent 6,788,314
  • Paul Allen's refiled patent infringement suit, reference not provided