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It’s hard not to see the lawsuit as a patent troll—especially given the fact that Interval doesn’t actually produce any products and the word “licensing” is right in the company’s name. Still, Allen and his spokesperson David Postman clearly believe that they are defending a concept that is not practically universal among search engines and web browsers, but rather something that would not exist at all had Interval not come up with it.
“We are not asserting patents that other companies have filed, nor are we buying patents originally assigned to someone else,” Postman said in a statement. “These are patents developed by and for Interval.”
A Google spokesperson responded to the lawsuit by saying that it uses the patent system to work against innovation, not for it. “This lawsuit against some of America’s most innovative companies reflects an unfortunate trend of people trying to compete in the courtroom instead of the marketplace,” the spokesperson said. “Innovation—not litigation—is the way to bring to market the kinds of products and services that benefit millions of people around the world.”
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Microsoft cofounder drops patent bomb on Apple, Google, Facebook
Patent troll? Yes. The patent system really needs to be reworked in light of the direction of technology. Let’s follow Australia’s lead and kill software patents altogether.
