New York Times Asks Court to Rule Information Access Patent Not Infringed
The New York Times Co. (NYT) sued a patent holder asking for a court ruling that it doesn’t infringe a 1993 U.S. patent for accessing and assembling information.
The New York-based newspaper publisher contends patent- owner Webvention LLC of Marshall, Texas, is targeting its website, according to papers filed today in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware.
Last July, “Webvention filed a lawsuit against 19 companies” alleging infringement of the same patent, and last October “filed another lawsuit” against 20 other companies -- and has requested $80,000 for use of the patented technology -- Times lawyers said in court papers.
The Times “does not infringe any valid claim” of the patent, according to the lawsuit, which asks for a jury trial and describes the defendant as “solely a licensing entity.”
Webvention lawyers at the Davis Firm in Longview, Texas, didn’t immediately return a call for comment on the lawsuit.
The case is The New York Times Co. v. Webvention Holdings LLC, U.S. District Court, District of Delaware (Wilmington).
To see the patent, click: 5,251,294.
To contact the reporter on this story: Phil Milford in Wilmington, Delaware, at pmilford@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Hytha at mhytha@bloomberg.net
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