Technology

Microsoft co-founder files patent suits against Facebook, Apple, Google

A company owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen on Friday blasted Apple, Facebook, Google, YouTube, Yahoo! and others with a patent infringement lawsuit filed in a US court.
Seattle-based Interval Licensing, an Allen company, accused 11 online commerce and Internet search firms with infringing patents on fundamental Web technologies Interval developed in the 1990s.

‘Interval Research was an early, ground-breaking contributor to the development of the Internet economy,’ said Allen spokesman David Postman. ‘This lawsuit is necessary to protect our investment in innovation.’
Postman stressed that the technology at issue was created by Interval Research, a company founded by Allen and David Liddle in 1992, and not patents acquired from other firms.
The list of defendants in the lawsuit included AOL and Internet auction house eBay as well as online movie rental firm Netflix and retail chains Office Depot, OfficeMax, and Staples.
‘We believe this suit is completely without merit and we will fight it vigorously,’ Facebook said in response to an AFP inquiry.
Google also slammed the lawsuit. ‘This lawsuit against some of America’s most innovative companies reflects an unfortunate trend of people trying to compete in the courtroom instead of the marketplace,’ a Google spokesman told the AFP.
Microsoft, which Allen founded with Bill Gates in 1975, was not named in the suit.

Teletalk to reduce internet rate further 

Post and telecommunications minister Raziuddin Ahmed Razu has urged all to use Teletalk as it is an organisation of the country.
Moreover, the telecom minister requested everyone to help the public telecom service provider.
He was addressing the inauguration ceremony of Narashingdi's first Teletalk service and customer care centre at the Sadar Upazila on Saturday noon.
The telecom minister said that Teletalk incurred a total loss of Tk 1600 million in 2007 and 2008.
"Teletalk customers have increased and it earned Tk 70 million recovering the loss after the government came to power," he added.
Razu said that the government has already signed an agreement worth 211 billion with China, which will enable the government to provide third generation (3G) network across the country.
"3G will be introduced soon through fiber optic cable. The internet speed will increase phenomenally across the country. Optical fiber performs three functions – internet, television and telephone."
The telecom minister further added, "Internet rate was double before Teletalk came in the market. We'll try to reduce the rate further so that the people can be benefited."
Deputy commissioner Amrita Barai, police superintendent Dr Akkas Uddin Bhuiyan, district Awami League vice-president advocate S A Hadi, Narashingdi Judges' Court's public prosecutor advocate N M Ruhul Amin, owner of M/S Sakir and Brothers and Teletalk Service Centre Hazi Abdus Sattar, among the others, were present at the inauguration ceremony.