Google, the popular search engine, has been sued by rival
Overture for alleged infringement of a patent which covers paid
placements in search engine results.
Overture, formerly known as GoTo, is based in Pasadena,
California. Its advertisers bid for placement on relevant search
results and pay Overture only when a consumer clicks on their
listing. The company has a US patent to protect its
bid-for-placement system.
In its lawsuit filed in a Los Angeles district court, it alleges
that Google is infringing its patent, described as “system and
method for influencing a position on a search result list generated
by a computer network search engine.”
Overture is seeking unspecified damages. Google denies any
infringement.
