Facebook’s legal woes just won’t stop coming. Last November a company called Leader Technologies, which makes business communcation tools, filed suit against Facebook alleging that the social network had infringed on a patent that “relates to a method and system for the management and storage of electronic information.” The case is still ongoing, and it sounds like it has some legs — earlier this week Facebook was ordered by a Magistrate Judge from the District of Delaware’s District Court to give Leader Technologies access to its entire source code. As reported at Law360, Facebook has until the end of this week to hand over a hierarchical map of the source, and has until August 21st to share its entire codebase with the company.
Of course, Facebook is going to fight tooth and nail against this, and is sure to appeal the ruling.
Facebook has given us the following statement regarding the case:
While we respect the magistrate judge’s opinion, we disagree with it on this point and plan to appeal. Generally, this suit is without merit and we will continue to fight it aggressively.
This isn’t the only legal battle Facebook is facing. It’s currently being sued by Power.com over issues related to data portability, as well as by multiple advertisers alleging click fraud.
You can view Leader Tech’s request to have Facebook reveal its code below:
Leader-v-FacebookLetterRequestingSourceCode-posted30-Jul-2009_2_ –
Thanks to Aditi Tuteja for the tip.
Someone please, please reform the software patent system in this country.
The only way to solve the patent rules is to take away everyones patents, including drug companies, Government patents and make it a truly free society.
In China when you develop anything, lets say you invest 20 million dollars to develop a chair, I can steal it and beat you to market with low overhead.
Move to China Dan, thats your Utopia
Perhaps that explains why there’s very little innovation in China. when was the last time you heard of a major new product originating from China?
Those laws are in place to protect and encourage people who risk years of research and hard work, the fact that a few choose to abuse them doesn’t mean we should do away with them.
If we all behave like the Chinese the world will come to a standstill; everyone will be waiting for the other to innovate so they can copy and undercut them in some way.
(Bobby was being ironic)
I think you mean sarcastic.
There’s a difference between patent reform and abolishing the patent system.
What about this case makes you believe the system needs change or reform? Because one party requested and received the right to view source code?
A Magistrate Judge in a district court doesn’t have much bite.
We’ll have to wait and see what happens when this gets too a higher court.
And by too I meant to.
Mag. Judge has plenty of bite as far as discovery issues go. No doubt Facebook will try to push this to the presiding district court judge, who often defers to the MJ and wants nothing to do with such issues.
Not a good look for FB.
Here’s a link to a more legible version: http://www.scri...om/doc/17938803
I hope that Facebook voraciously defends its rights to its own properties. I agree with Dan Grossman that software patent system should be reformed.
Even if they lose, getting ahold of facebook’s code has got to be worth something.
http://www.traderbots.com
I agree with the comment above!
http://www.clickandporn.com
The Adult Tube Generation
click and porn? WOW dude
WTF is the “ADULT TUBE GENERATION” you don’t know anything about adult you sleazy embedding tube video fcuk.
I liked the site, maybe not the best place to put the link, but i am very glad that i have see it.
Bookmarked!
Thanks Teta!
The ubiquity of the word “leader” the name of all of their products reminds me of that Simpsons episode where the cult is trying to brainwash Homer and are finally able to do so by coming up with a song to the Batman tune by substituting “Batman” with “Leader.”
“nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh… nuh nuh nuh LEADER!”
Every tech start faces legal battle (including MSFT). It might be that cunning people are in Tech or cunning people see Tech as the milking cow.
Very interesting. Lets see how thats gonna affect facebook.
Whatever, there’s nothing special about Facebook’s source code. It’s a social network. It’s been done over and over again. The real magic is behind the scenes where all the database/load balancing/caching happens to keep up with the insane amount of traffic.
Facebook is just a PHP social networking web app. Their source code would hardly contain anything groundbreaking.
Word, they do have really nice AJAX that I’d like to get ahold of
this is just ridiculous, how in the world would this douchebag of judge order facebook to provide the backbone of their company to another company? makes no sense
i just hate this legal stuff
http://www.clickandporn.com
The Adult Tube Generation
^Spammer! Please moderate…
Wow–that is ridiculous
The Adult Tube Generation
LOL