Volume IX

Issue : 16: April 21, 2011

• Seeing Red on Black Friday: Poker Sites Indicted for Fraud, Money Laundering and Illegal Gambling
• Alberta Court of Appeal Decision Potentially Affects On-Line Privacy
• Microsoft Tests Fundamentals of Patent Law in i4i Appeal
• Parent Sues Apple Over Application Purchasing Policy
• Priceline Founder Sues More Than 100 Companies for Patent Infringement
• Apple, RIM, Google and Others Sued for Patent Infringement
• Motorola and Huawei Settle Legal Disputes
• $625.5 Million Jury Verdict Against Apple Overturned

Home > Volume IX > Issue 16: April 21, 2011 > Priceline Founder Sues More Than 100 Companies for Patent Infringement

Priceline Founder Sues More Than 100 Companies for Patent Infringement

Priceline.com founder, Walker Digital, is suing more than 100 companies, including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook, alleging that these companies infringed on key parts of its patent portfolio, including patents covering e-commerce, private social-networking communications, online auctions, and a driving directions tool with visual cues. 

Walker Digital is a privately held research and development lab based in the U.S., and has more than 200 U.S. patents as part of its IP portfolio.  It licenses its IP rights and generates licensing revenues from its patents.  Its wave of lawsuits appears to have resulted after negotiations with companies over establishing licensing deals fell through. 

The U.S. Senate passed legislation last month, changing the patent filing rights to a “first to file system”.  This recent move could change the escalating intellectual property litigation threats currently occurring amongst tech companies in the U.S.

For additional information, visit:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-20053174-38.html#ixzz1JVSRZtXu