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Twitter Slapped with a Patent Infringement Lawsuit

By Zee
November 18, 2009
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Twitter Slapped with a Patent Infringement LawsuitFor the second time in a matter of months Twitter is being sued for patent infringement.

The first came from Texas based TechRadium who built mass notification systems for public safety organizations, the military, and utilities.

On November 13, Twitter were targeted again by Cooper Industries Plc, a Florida based company who are throwing an injunction at Twitter, ordering them to shut down the site until they pay for a license to use “Cooper Notification“, a product of the company’s.

Like TechRadium, Cooper Notification’s is a mass notification solution designed to protect, alert and inform people of exactly what to do before, during and after a disaster.

Twitter isn’t the only company Cooper is targeting. Everbridge Inc. and Rave Wireless Inc. have also received Infringement Lawsuits.

Twitter is no small startup now, with 100million in funding, these companies know there’s money worth fighting for. Expect many more of these in months and years to come.

via Chicago Tribune.


  • whoa, not a complete shutdown of the site?

    People see $ signs/ success and now they want to have a lawsuit? I'm not sure who's telling the truth but a shutdown of Twitter will cause the world to stop.... joking of course. :)
  • Heh. It may not cause the world to stop, but it would definitely generate some backlash. Look at when Twitter, Facebook, and Gizmodo got DDoSed earlier this year. People didn't know what to do.
  • Anonymous
    With the relation of a communication alert system for armies and natural disasters to twitter is like the equivelant of hershey's candy company sueing bailey's liqueor for coming out with a chocnlate based rum. What a bunch of idiots
  • Unfortunately, if enough money is floating around, someone will try to create a link between any two objects, no matter how unrelated they are.
  • I like the positive slant re good publicity for Twitter. These kinds of legal actions are symptomatic of crazy US patent and trademark laws. My favorite is the way corporates get away with patenting common English words. As Mario would say, "It'sa crazy" (wave arms expressively).
  • This is the same thing you see in the everyday business world. Like Wayne said, people see money signs & success & want a piece of the action.

    I doubt Twitter actually stole someone elses patent. These companies suing them (and one's coming up, just watch) are just upset they didn't come up with the idea or if they did have technology that's similar, they didn't act on it.

    Dear companies,

    Stop crying and get working. Maybe then you'll make something great out of actually doing.
  • Ja
    I know it will sound crazy, but you may be wrong. If you would actually look into the patent you would know that Twitter is infringing on it.

    And unlike Twitter, those companies ACTUALLY make money. Mass Notification is a big business.

    So keep twittering... maybe you'll feel better. For now...
  • Me
    Tech Radium and Cooper both have patents that cover a swath of different ways to notify people. It's unfortunate but true. They are the equivalent of slapping a patent on using a fryer to make bacon.

    The US patent laws are insane.
  • subske
    I'm interested.. What is the business model is Twitter using to generate revenue or is it all simply funding from companies with interest in technology & integration prospects?
    Twitter should probably get some lawyers on their team, with those $$ they have & stay on toes, if they haven't & aren't already..
    Good luck 'big T'..
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