This one almost requires a “Let’s get ready to rumble! from Michael Buffer.
On Tuesday it came to light that Internet search company Yahoo has filed suit against social networking giant Facebook in federal court in San Jose, California.
At one time, Yahoo was interested in purchasing Facebook. But ever since a young Mark Zuckerberg declined the acquisition attempt, the relationship has apparently deteriorated.
The latest evidence is the 19-page suit accusing Facebook of violating of its patents relating to digital advertising, information sharing and privacy.
“Facebook’s entire social network model, which allows users to create profiles for and connect with, among other things, persons and businesses, is based on Yahoo’s patented social networking technology,” Yahoo’s filing reads.
Yahoo says everything from Facebook’s News Feed to its privacy settings are infringing upon Yahoo’s intellectual property.
And this isn’t one of those “friendly” lawsuits you see in Silicon Valley from time to time. Yahoo, in fact, says Facebook’s infringements were “willful and deliberate nature” and wants the court to shut down the entire operation.
“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 response to the lawsuit. “Once again, we learned of Yahoo’s decision simultaneously with the media. We will defend ourselves vigorously against these puzzling actions.”
