Microsoft Corp. co-founder and billionaire Paul Allen is suing nearly a dozen major technology companies, including Google Inc. and Apple Inc., alleging that they infringed on four Web technology patents held by his company Interval Licensing LLC.
Interval said Friday it sued the companies in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Others named in the suit are: Facebook Inc., eBay Inc., Yahoo Inc., Netflix Inc., Office Depot Inc., OfficeMax Inc., Staples Inc. and Google-owned YouTube LLC.
Interval owns patents from Interval Research, which was a technology research-and-development company that Allen started with David Liddle in the early ’90s.
Interval said the patents it believes are being violated are key to how e-commerce and search companies work. The patents described in the suit refer to technology used for functions such as Web browsing and sending alerts over the Web.
Facebook sued over teen endorsements
Two Los Angeles County teenagers are suing Facebook, claiming the social network effectively sold their names and images to advertisers without parental permission.
The lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles challenges a Facebook feature that allows members to note that they like an advertised service or product. Facebook broadcasts those endorsements to the user’s friends.
The lawsuit also claims minors unwittingly endorse Facebook when people typing their names in a search engine are steered to a Facebook sign-up page. The plaintiffs say Palo Alto-based Facebook is violating a California law that requires parental consent for children to make commercial endorsements. The teens seek unspecified damages.
Tiffany earnings increase 19 percent
Tiffany & Co.’s second-quarter net income rose 19 percent on higher revenue as shoppers bought more of its high-end jewelry around the world, particularly in Asia and Europe.
The chain known for its trademark turquoise boxes raised its full-year earnings guidance to a range partly above analyst estimates. CEO Michael Kowalski said Tiffany looked forward to the second half “with a sense of guarded optimism.”
Net income met expectations but revenue fell short, and it said third-quarter growth would be “somewhat restrained” because of higher marketing spending. The luxury industry is recovering from the recession, which spurred shoppers – even at the high end – to spend less as they grappled with uncertain investments and employment prospects.
As the economy gradually recovers, sales have ticked up in the luxury sector – although shoppers are fickle, so nothing is certain.
Boeing again delays first delivery of 787
Boeing Co. postponed the delivery of its first 787 airliner to mid-February, adding to a string of delays that has put it more than two years past its originally scheduled debut.
The latest delay is the result of engine delivery problems, Boeing said in a statement Friday. The Chicago company said in July that it expects to start delivering the plane late this year, but it warned that might not happen.
The 787 is made of many composite materials designed to make it lighter and more fuel-efficient than comparable planes already in the sky.
