Company sues Facebook over somethingorother

Unified, horizontal system for communications...bitch!

By Austin Modine • Get more from this author

Posted in Law, 20th November 2008 23:44 GMT

Understand how application security is evolving

An Ohio-based technology company is suing Facebook for patent infringement, claiming it invented the platform the insanely popular social networking site uses to store and manage information.

Leader Technology claims Facebook infringes on its patent for "dynamic association of electronically stored information with iterative workflow change," issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office on November 21, 2006.

Leader asked that Facebook stop using the technology and seeks unspecified damages.

"We have spent a great amount of time and effort in procuring our intellectual property and have taken the steps necessary to protect our proprietary and inventive ideas," said Michael McKibben, founder of Leader in a statement. (Apparently, the first step is announcing the lawsuit to the media before Facebook gets a look at it).

Leader's patent describes the data management tool as "a common workflow layer that is automated with a scalable, relational database. The tool includes a relational database engine that facilitates many-to-many relationships among data elements, in addition to, one-to-many and many-to-many relationships."

Pretty straight forward then. The suit was filed today in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.

By the way, congratulations Facebook on the fifth lawsuit against you this year! My, but you're getting so big! ®

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