Week 3, Post 2 — Facebook sued for "Like" button

Facebook is being sued for its Like button — a concept that Rembrandt Social Media claims belongs to Dutch entrepreneur Joannes Josef Everardus van Der Meer's primitive social networking site called Surfbook. Der Meer is supposed to have patented the Like button in 1998.

Rembrandt Social Media, to whom Der Meer left all his patents after his death, is the one suing Facebook. They claim that Rembrandt's patents represent an important foundation of social media as we know it. They claim that Facebook's success is dependent on Surfbook's concept.

This case highlights the problem in today's world regarding Intellectual Property. Companies tend to sue other companies when they themselves lose their creative juice. Patent wars has become just another way for companies to make money by suing others. Millions of dollars are spent in litigation to do with patent infringement, and companies are now taking advantage of this patent infringement trend that is suddenly rising to make a quick profit.

Article: http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/business-living/2013/feb/22/dislike-facebook-sued-patent-infringement/