IBM launched a lawsuit against real estate tech giant Zillow over seven charges of patent infringement related to a host of computer processes that Zillow uses to run its website, according to an article in Geek Wire.
Specifically, IBM said the parts of Zillow’s site that estimate home values, as well as the way it does searches, are part of IBM’s patented technology.
IBM claims that it has been unsuccessfully trying to get Zillow to agree to a patent licensing deal for the past three years.
“Because IBM’s over three-year struggle to negotiate a license agreement that remedies Zillow’s unlawful conduct has failed, IBM has been forced to seek relief through litigation,” the lawsuit said. “Among other relief sought, IBM seeks royalties on the billions of dollars in revenue that Zillow has received based on their infringement of IBM’s patented technology.”
IBM wants to ban Zillow from using any of the seven patents in the future, and it wants damages from the alleged infringement of the patents.