Next time you log on to Facebook you might want to take a moment to consider the software that runs Facebook and what is it about the way the information is exchange that keeps you coming back for more because these are now the subject of a lawsuit for patent infringement. On Monday, September 21, 2009, Facebook, the world’s most popular social networking site, was sued by WhoGlue Inc. in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. And while the three page complaint is a little vague, the method patent that it claims Facebook has infringed is very interesting.
Specifically, the company’s patent covers an “information management system, method and computer program code and means for facilitating communications between user members of an online network.” The patent which was issued on July 17, 2007 contains several figures which lay out everything from logging in to searching your address book and network. The Plaintiff, WhoGlue, has requested a permanent injunction, damages including attorneys’ fees and has made a demand for a jury trial.