GraphOn sues Google for patent infringement

Computerworld - GraphOn Corp., a developer of server-based application-publishing and Web-enabling software, today said it has filed a lawsuit alleging that Google Inc.'s Base, AdWords, Sites and YouTube services infringe on four GraphOn patents.

Filed in federal court in Texas, the suit alleges that the Google products infringe on patents that protect GraphOn's "unique method of maintaining an automated and network-accessible database," according to a statement from Santa Cruz, Calif.-based GraphOn. The suit seeks permanent injunctive relief and unspecified damages.

In a statement, Google said it could not comment until it received the complaint.

GraphOn obtained two of the patents and the applications that resulted in the other two patents as part of its acquisition of Networking Engineering Software Inc. (NES) in February 2005, the company said.

"The number of patents now owned by GraphOn as a result of the NES acquisition has increased to 23, a number that is expected to continue to increase as patent applications on file at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office mature into issued patents," said Robert Dilworth, GraphOn's CEO, in the statement. "Aggressively protecting the technology represented in these patents is an important part of maximizing their value to GraphOn."

GraphOn in November 2005 sued AutoTrader.com Inc. for allegedly infringing on two of the patents outlined in the Google lawsuit. A license agreement ended that lawsuit in January 2008.

GraphOn also filed a lawsuit in August 2007 against Juniper Networks Inc., claiming infringement of patents that protect network security and firewall technologies. In March, GraphOn filed lawsuits against Classified Ventures, IAC/InterActiveCorp, Match.com, Yahoo, eHarmony.com and CareerBuilder claiming infringement on the same patents cited in its lawsuit against Google.