National News

Yahoo sues Facebook over patents

Yahoo is filing a lawsuit against Facebook over patents, following through on a threat it made last month.

Yahoo Inc. said in a court filing March 12 that Facebook has infringed 10 of its patents covering advertising, privacy controls and social networking.

Facebook pledged to defend itself vigorously against what it called "puzzling actions" by Yahoo. "We're disappointed that Yahoo, a longtime business partner of Facebook and a company that has substantially benefited from its association with Facebook, has decided to resort to litigation," Facebook said in a statement.

The patent claims could cast a spotlight on Facebook's vulnerabilities as the company tries to complete an initial public offering of stock this spring. At the end of 2011, only 56 U.S. patents had been issued to Facebook. That's a relatively small number compared with other big tech companies.

Yahoo defended its lawsuit, saying it has invested "substantial resources in research and development" over the years, which have led to patents of technology that other companies have licensed. (AP)

Shukan ST: MARCH 23, 2012

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