GoDaddy joins the likes of Google and Yahoo as defendants in cloud storage patent troll lawsuits.
A non-practicing entity, a.k.a. patent troll, has filed a lawsuit against GoDaddy for allegedly infringing some of its cloud storage patents.
The suit, filed yesterday in Federal District Court in Texas, claims that GoDaddy infringed two of Titanide Ventures, LLC’s patents (pdf).
It claims that GoDaddy’s Online File Storage and Photo Album violate U.S. patents 6,714,968 and 6,735,623.
Last month Titanide filed suits against Google, Yahoo, HP, and Box for violating the same patents.
The Go Daddy Group has a large patent portfolio to use for defensive purposes. It has successfully used its patents to settle a suit brought by Web.com in the past. But patent challenges from trolls are difficult to defend against since it’s unlikely the troll is infringing any of the defendant’s patents. After all, it doesn’t really offer any products or services that could be infringing.
Update: here’s a comment from GoDaddy:
“We have not yet been served with a complaint in this matter, but should we receive proper service, we will certainly defend the case vigorously. We typically don’t comment on the specifics of pending litigation, but in our view, it is highly unlikely we infringed the plaintiff’s patents.”
Stewart J. Womack
Assistant General Counsel
Go Daddy Operating Company, LLC
RaTHeaD says
everybody seems to be so against trolls these days… but when you’re crossin’ over a bridge and need somebody to curse at you and throw stones… you’ll be glad they’re around.
jeff says
Why are you glad they’re around? They will raise the price for services with all the lawsuits they are causing.
Bob Mtn says
Really makes you scratch your head, no value add whatsoever. Just sitting on IP with no intent to do anything constructive, simply wait for a situation where litigation is possible and then blackmail the company that’s trying to create real products. Crazy.
DomainersChoice says
So infrining on somebody’s patent is okay, but not on someones domains ?
If the company holds a patent for a certain technology then they are entitled to royalties or damages if someone infringes on their patent. Nothing wrong with that.
Scott says
@DomainersChoice – The problem is, many of these patents should have never been granted in the first place.
It would make my week if someone with very deep pockets somehow got a patent on patent trolling, then sued all them for infringement 🙂
Robert McLean says
Beware the lawyer, (troll) patent-domain holder, preditor, domain investor-patent holder ….er…ooops… oh right.. this is the domaining business.. lol The domaining business…. what can you say…. the rich get richer and the registrars…. well yes, let’s bow down to the registrars. Registrars are the extension of the spin off of the first domain millionaires. The domaining buisiness is controlled by the registrars who simply are made of those that were first at the generic, one word, .com domain trough. MONEY… enter trolls, I mean lawyers.
(DOMAINS_PATENTS) + LAWYERS = TROLLS.
LAWYERS~TROLLS….TROLLS~LAWYERS
ROBERT MCLEAN
name says
>entitled to royalties or damages if someone infringes on their patent. Nothing wrong with that<
Nothing wrong legally. Which does not imply, as it seems you would wish, that there is nothing wrong morally.
Cy Squat says
Really makes you scratch your head, no value add whatsoever. Just sitting on IP with no intent to do anything constructive, simply wait for a situation where litigation is possible and then blackmail the company that’s trying to create real products. Crazy.
Sounds like cybersquatting! Worked well for all the heros domainers admire so much. What changed?
Andrew Allemann says
@ Cy Squat – they’ve successfully used their patents when they were sued for infringement.
Robert McLean says
The domaining industry is based on sitting on properties until which time to move. In the cut-throat, registrar controled world of domains, the only refuge a domainer has is the ownership of the domain property. Along with the ownership of any given domain property comes the right to with it what is seen as fit by the registant, legally, regardless of what anyone or any corporate interests, period.
Sincerly,
Robert McLean
Bob Mtn says
@ Cy Squat – Domain Investors buy domains, pay renewal costs, and put the inventory in marketplaces so they can sell them at fair prices to businesses and other end users. Slight difference from Patent Trolls who’s primary objective is monetary gain through litigation. One is adding value to society, the other is sucking money out of productive activities and putting it into the pockets of lawyers. You figure out which one is which.