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Paul Allen suing Google, Facebook, Ebay, Yahoo and others

Paul Allen suing Google, Facebook, Ebay, Yahoo and others

Credit: Seattle Times

Paul Allen suing Google, Facebook, Ebay, Yahoo and others

by Associated Press

KING5.com

Posted on August 27, 2010 at 12:43 PM

Updated Friday, Aug 27 at 1:30 PM

SAN FRANCISCO -  Microsoft co-founder and billionaire Paul Allen is suing nearly a dozen major technology companies, including Google Inc. and Apple Inc., alleging that they infringed on four Web technology patents held by his company Interval Licensing LLC.

Interval said Friday it filed the suit in a U.S. District Court in Seattle against the companies. Others named in the suit are: Facebook Inc., eBay Inc., Yahoo Inc., Netflix Inc., Office Depot Inc., OfficeMax Inc., Staples Inc. and Google-owned YouTube LLC.

Interval owns patents from Interval Research, which was a technology research and development company that Allen started with David Liddle in the early '90s.

Interval said that the patents it believes are being violated are key to how e-commerce and search companies work.

"This lawsuit is necessary to protect our investment in innovation," Paul Allen's spokesman, David Postman, said in a statement.

Most of the companies named as defendants did not immediately return requests for comment. AOL spokeswoman Tricia Primrose said the Internet company had no comment.

Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes called the suit "completely without merit."

Google said the suit "reflects an unfortunate trend of people trying to compete in the courtroom instead of the marketplace."
 


 

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Comments: Displaying 1 - 10 of 10

stryker said on August 31, 2010 at 5:34 AM

Just glad my name aint on his hit list.

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dakotanative said on August 28, 2010 at 2:42 PM

I am surprised tba Al Gore hadn't joined Paul. Didn't he invent the internet?

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trucker45 said on August 28, 2010 at 1:53 PM

Interesting that it took this many years to figure out that these other companies were doing this. Even more interesting that Microsoft is not named because they certainly have not created a particular way to not be doing precisely what these other companies are claimed to be doing.

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scott_bellevue said on August 28, 2010 at 10:07 AM

I would agree with Google. This reflects an unfortunate trend of people trying to compete in the courtroom instead of the marketplace, to mention nothing of the blatant greed. Small companies and upstarts constantly face these kinds of legal battles from behemoths like this. It's shameful, and an abomination of the original intent of patents and copyright. Paul Allen has officially joined the dark side.

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dakotanative said on August 28, 2010 at 10:06 AM

Anyone who runs a web page is using something that someone else designed. If they took his on-line auction and made one just like it, that would be theft. Using his product for a total different business is like having to pay Henry Ford every time you deliver a pizza in your Chevy.

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mcd1975272738114 said on August 27, 2010 at 4:31 PM

kbbcoop said "this idiot has more money than he can possibly spend" "Idiot"....really? How many billions of dollars have you made in your lifetime? What have you innovated? Go ahead, create something, have it stolen from you, marketed by someone else and we will count the time in micro-seconds before you're digging out the Yellow Pages looking up patent attorneys. Do you honestly think Paul Allen and his legal counsel would waste their time and money on something "totally without merit"? He's too busy making money, not losing it. Think it through now 'coop, create something for the market place that we would like to buy, we are happy and you are wealthy..........what a concept!

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clear2copy said on August 27, 2010 at 2:53 PM

meh..prolly some marketing scheme..

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kbbcoop said on August 27, 2010 at 2:50 PM

this idiot has more money than he can possibly spend. he was in the right place at the right time with Gates and Microsoft, stealing the windows idea from Xerox, but everything else he touches turns to lead.

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skippypotpiebaby said on August 27, 2010 at 2:11 PM

Go get them paul!!

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rite2post said on August 27, 2010 at 1:54 PM

Release the bait, let the big fish bite and reel them in... Money in the bank... Let those company make money for us. Genius! Those Lawyers are making the big bucks

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