Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen sues Apple, Google...everyone...for infringing patented Web technology

Interval Licensing LLC, a company controlled by billionaire entrepreneur and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, shocked the Silicon Valley, Friday, by filing a patent infringement lawsuit against 11 major corporations, including Apple, Google, Yahoo, eBay, AOL, Facebook, YouTube, Netflix, OfficeDepot, OfficeMax and Staples.



In the lawsuit filed in the US District Court in Seattle, Interval has asserted ownership of four technology patents related to e-commerce and Internet search that are being used by the companies without licensing them.
Interval said one patented Web technology allows a site to offer suggestions to consumers for items related to what they're currently viewing, or related to online activities of others in the case of social-networking sites. LINK