Microsoft faces legal action over Silverlight

17 Jul 2008 08:07

Gotuit Media is suing the software giant over the use of video metadata with the Flash rival, which has a featured role in next month's Olympics coverage

Microsoft is facing legal action from a little-known company called Gotuit Media, which claims elements of Silverlight infringe on the video metadata company's patented technology.

In a lawsuit filed on 2 July in San Francisco Federal Court, Gotuit charges Silverlight infringes on several of its patents and seeks an injunction against the software maker as well as damages and attorney's fees.

Gotuit may be a relative unknown, but Microsoft is facing an opponent it knows quite well. Gotuit is represented by San Francisco-based lawyer Spencer Hosie, the same Hosie that successfully represented Burst.com in its suit against Microsoft.

Hosie declined to comment on the Gotuit case.

Of note, Gotuit, in its complaint, mentions specifically Microsoft's plans to use Silverlight in conjunction with video metadata as part of its powering of the NBCOlympics.com website. Silverlight is Microsoft's rival to Adobe's Flash for web video, among other uses.

Microsoft spokesman David Bowermaster said the company had yet to be served in the case, "so we're not in a position to comment".

Gotuit has a range of products used by customers such as Lifetime television to make it easier to search and navigate through online video.

Story URL: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39448515,00.htm