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Overture To A Patent War?

Posted by timothy on from the one-two-three-four dept.

Shackleford writes "CNET has an article discussing Yahoo's proposed $1.63 billion buyout of commercial search specialist Overture Services on Monday. Yahoo would acquire 60-plus patents related to technology and processes for indexing the Web, as well as for pay-per-click and bidding systems to grant sites higher placement in search results. The search market is expected to be reap $4 billion in revenue by 2005, according to researchers. As the industry matures, the competition for a piece of that large pie could lead companies to bulk up their IP legal teams, much like in other industries such as online advertising sales during the dot-com bust. And Overture sued FindWhat.com in February 2002 after FindWhat filed a summary judgment request in a New York federal court in an attempt to fend off any potential infringement charge from Overture. Two months later Overture filed a second lawsuit, charging Google with patent infringement in its pay-for-performance ad system. So is this the way the search engine competition will be won? Through patents and lawsuits?"

7 of 174 comments (clear)

  1. Shocking by bluesoul88 · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Two months later Overture filed a second lawsuit, charging Google with patent infringement in its pay-for-performance ad system."

    No, god forbid some other company decides to make you pay for services. It's obvious that Overture was the first to come up with that idea, dag nabbit!

    In other news, I make 3 cents in royalties for every fork ever produced for the next 3000 years. =)

    --
    TLoM: Nerds + DDR + Rednecks for the win!
    1. Re:Shocking by LPetrazickis · · Score: 2, Funny

      In other news, I make 3 cents in royalties for every fork ever produced for the next 3000 years. =)

      Wow. With the number of forkings BSD is experiencing, that's like a zillion dollars. Are you in the market for a pool boy?:)

      --
      Is this a sigs-optional kind of place? 'Cause I am totally down with that if you know what I mean.
  2. Well.. by st0rmshadow · · Score: 2, Funny

    So is this the way the search engine competition will be won? Through patents and lawsuits?

    Isn't that how most other commercial competitions are won?

    1. Re:Well.. by focitrixilous+P · · Score: 3, Funny

      I prefer to think most commercial competitions will be won by arson and mysterious deaths of low tier company employees, but it's hard to throw someone off a bridge via the internet, but the RIAA is working on that still. Soon a simple click of the button will pour a pair of concrete boots and summon a Simon Deliver's truck to haul you away.

      --
      SAILING MISHAP
  3. Prior Art by heli0 · · Score: 2, Funny

    "So is this the way the search engine competition will be won? Through patents and lawsuits?""

    No, SCO has already patented that business model.

    --
    Whenever the offence inspires less horror than the punishment, the rigour of penal law is obliged to give way...
  4. A better way by Zork+the+Almighty · · Score: 4, Funny

    "So is this the way the search engine competition will be won? Through patents and lawsuits?"

    I was searching for a better way, but when I tried Yahoo all I got was advertising.

    --

    In Soviet America the banks rob you!
  5. Re:We're doomed.. by Ender77 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Perhaps everybody should get a degree in law since that will be the only business that will be left after a few years.