Just when you thought that patent infringement suits and litigations were a part of the smartphones and tablets industry only, here comes a real cracker of a patent infringement suit that involves two of the biggest Internet giants. Longtime allies Yahoo and Facebook find themselves at logger heads after the former decided to sue Facebook with a new patent infringement suit. The decision to file the case against Facebook has come after talks between the two companies failed and Yahoo resorted to take the legal route.
The patents in this case relate to advertising, privacy, customization and social networking components and include a wide array of technologies. This is also seen as a move by the fresh CEO of Yahoo Scott Thompson who was elected to the post after the unceremonious removal of Carol Bartz from the post back in 2011. There is said to be differences between the senior management at Yahoo regarding this decision to go after Facebook which if you may recall is one the cusp of going public with an IPO that is estimated to be worth over $100 Billion.
Yahoo says in a statement;
“Yahoo! has invested substantial resources in research and development through the years, which has resulted in numerous patented inventions of technology that other companies have licensed. These technologies are the foundation of our business that engages over 700 million monthly unique visitors and represent the spirit of innovation upon which Yahoo! is built. Unfortunately, the matter with Facebook remains unresolved and we are compelled to seek redress in federal court. We are confident that we will prevail.”
Facebook has responded to Yahoo with its own counter statement expressing surprise at Yahoo’s decision;
“We’re disappointed that Yahoo, a longtime business partner of Facebook and a company that has substantially benefited from its association with Facebook, has decided to resort to litigation. Once again, we learned of Yahoo’s decision simultaneously with the media. We will defend ourselves vigorously against these puzzling actions.”
All said, this is going to be yet another addition to the list of long drawn legal battles between large corporations. Who do you think will win this one?
