Google accused of ripping off digital ad technology in U.S. lawsuit

(Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s Google LLC was hit on Monday with a U.S. lawsuit alleging it copied a smaller agency’s patented digital promoting technology.

Impact Engine Inc filed the grievance in federal courtroom in San Diego, California, alleging varied Google internet advertising platforms, together with Google Ads and Google AdSense, infringed on six patents.

The allegedly violated patents, granted to San Diego-based Impact Engine between 2011 and 2018, relate to so-called “programmatic creative” technology for quickly producing and customizing on-line commercials.

Google didn’t instantly touch upon the case.

According to the grievance, between 2005 and 2007 Google workers expressed curiosity in partnering with Impact Engine’s co-founders, who disclosed prototypes, paperwork, and supply code.

Impact Engine alleged that, after a collection of conferences between the businesses, Google copied its mental property as an alternative of making a enterprise partnership.

The lawsuit doesn’t embody any claims aside from patent infringement.

“We cannot stand by any longer and watch while one of the world’s largest and most valuable companies infringes upon our IP and profits from our hard work and creative inventions,” Impact Engine Chief Executive Officer Neil Greer mentioned in a press launch.

“We are determined to enforce our intellectual property rights and to protect our innovations, for Impact Engine’s own sake and for the sake of other young companies who might be victimized by behemoths such as Google.”

About 85% of Alphabet’s income comes from Google’s ad enterprise, which sells hyperlinks, banners and commercials throughout its personal web sites and apps and people of companions.