Northeastern University Sues Google Over Index Database Design

Nov 12, 2007 at 9:14am ET by Barry Schwartz

Northeastern sues Google over patent from The Boston Globe reports that Northeastern University and a company founded by a Northeastern professor, Kenneth P. Baclawski, is suing Google for patent infringement.

The issue at hand in this case is that Northeastern has patented a method of storing database queries back in 1997. It wasn’t until about two years ago that Northeastern learned that Google was potentially infringing on that patent. It wasn’t for another couple years that Northeastern was able to find lawyers that would take the case on a contingency basis.

The complaint was filed on November 6th at Eastern District of Texas–the U.S. court. You can find the PDF of the complaint over here, as well as the copy of the patent and the court docket, thanks to ResourceShelf.

In addition, you can read about how Microsoft does index partitioning in their search index via SEO By The Sea.

Barry Schwartz is Search Engine Land's News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry's personal blog is named Cartoon Barry and he can be followed on Twitter here.

See more articles by Barry Schwartz >

Share, Bookmark & Discuss This Article
More:

Keep Updated: News Via Email | News Via RSS Feed | News Via Twitter

See more stories like this in the Members Library! Check out the Google: Legal, Legal: Patents sections of the Members Library where this story is filed. Members also get access to exclusive video content, a members-only weekly & monthly newsletter, plus more. Check out all the benefits!

Comments are closed.

TOP STORIES

See All »

SEARCH NEWS BRIEFS

See All »

FEATURES & ANALYSIS

See All »

RECENT COMMENTS

Grantastic said " Nothing mentioned about Video SEO? Newspaper website are putting out a lot more video, and should ab"
dmarsch said " Interesting stuff... and if anything, this underestimates the importance of google to News Corp as a"
pete142 said " Very good bartender analogy gives the main point of the article instant clarity. Well done! I am env"

See All »

See How To Articles And More In Our Members Library »

FREE DAILY SEARCH NEWS RECAP!

Stay on top of all the search news with our daily summary, the SearchCap newsletter. View a sample ›

STAY CURRENT THROUGHOUT THE DAY

The Search Engine Land feed keeps you informed as news happens. SEE ALL FEEDS »

SEARCH ENGINE LAND SPONSORS

Advertise With Us »

UPCOMING SEARCH ENGINE LAND CONFERENCES

Search Engine Land produces SMX, the Search Marketing Expo conference series. SMX events deliver the most comprehensive educational and networking experiences - whether you're just starting in search marketing or you're a seasoned expert.

SMX Web Site » | SMX Difference » | SMX News »

Join us at an upcoming SMX event:

UPCOMING SEARCH ENGINE LAND WEBCASTS

Learn more about search marketing with our free online webcasts and webinars from our sister site, Search Marketing Now. Upcoming online events include: