Yahoo Seeks Dismissal of Facebook Counterclaims on Patents
Yahoo! Inc. asked a federal judge to invalidate some Facebook Inc. patents and dismiss the social network company’s counterclaims of infringement in an intellectual property dispute between the two firms.
Facebook bought several of the patents at the center of its counterclaims “for purposes of retaliation” after being sued in March by Yahoo for patent infringement, Yahoo’s attorneys said in a filing today in federal court in San Francisco.
Yahoo, owner of largest U.S. web portal, also added new infringement claims against Facebook.
Facebook, the Menlo Park, California-based operator of the biggest social-networking site, accused Yahoo of infringing 10 patents through its home page and Flickr photo-sharing service and in ads displayed throughout its site. The claims were made to counter patent-infringement allegations Yahoo filed March 12 against Facebook.
Facebook didn’t invent technologies claimed in eight patents it sued over, which it bought from patent holding companies or patent aggregators, Yahoo’s lawyers said.




