Sigh. Here we go again (http://techcrunch.com/search/patent+troll).
A patent troll called Mount Hamilton Partners (http://mt-hamilton.com/index.htm) has filed two separate patent infringement lawsuits against daily deals juggernaut Groupon (http://news.priorsmart.com/mount-hamilton-partners-v-groupon-l5aK/) and Google (http://news.priorsmart.com/mount-hamilton-partners-v-google-l5aJ/), which also operates a digital couponing business called Google Offers.
Mount Hamilton Partners, which purports to be an 'investor in technology companies' on its website, garnered headlines about two and a half years ago when it sued OpenTable (http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2009/05/19/ipo-ready-opentable-hit-with-suspiciously-timed-lawsuit/) right before the restaurant reservation service provider went public. Now they're going after Google and Groupon.
The patent in both cases is U.S. patent 7,904,334 (http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes&Query=PN/7904334), entitled "System and method for reducing excess capacity for restaurants and other industries during off-peak or."
In the filings, Mount Hamilton Partners argues that the fact that services like Groupon and Google Offers help restaurants fill unused seats and build direct relationships – thus increasing loyalty – with individual customers, infringes its patent, causing 'irreparable harm'.
The patent in question was filed for in May 2004 and approved earlier this year. As far as I can tell, Mount Hamilton has never produced or sold any 'innovations' based on its patented technology.
Both suits seek damages. Both suits should have never been filed.
TechCrunch