Facebook, Apple, Yahoo, Microsoft, and IBM Sued By Unknown Company

[engine]

The lawsuits assert a grab-bag of patents covering everything from search to internet services to storage. For example, PersonalWeb says that Apple’s iTunes and iCloud services violate six data-processing, and access-control patents it holds.

Confusingly, PersonalWeb has also sued cloud hosting company Rackspace, saying that the company’s “Rackspace Cloud Servers and GitHub Code Hosting Service” violate its patents. GitHub and Rackspace are two separate companies, although GitHub — a provider of source code management and collaborative software development services — is a customer of Rackspace’s.

“It’s apparent that the people filing the suit don’t understand the technology or the products enough to realize that Rackspace Cloud Servers and GitHub are completely different products from different companies,” said Rackspace Chief Technology Officer John Engates in an email.Facebook, Apple, Yahoo, Microsoft, and IBM Sued By Unknown Company [wired.com]

[timwilliams]

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas

Wouldn't surprise me if Mark Cuban has something to do with this as much as he is against the current patent system, crazy suit like this to show what a mess it is.

[graeme_p]

May be they are trying to establish that a hosting provider is liable for patent violations by sites they host?

These patents are OLD. IF they are valid, then they are classic submarine patents.