World Intellectual Property Review
March.26.2013
This article, about the first patent secured by Twitter in the U.S., quotes intellectual property partner Sid Venkatesan.
Venkatesan stated that the patent appears to be the first issued to Twitter in the US. "It looks like Twitter has other patent applications pending, so this probably not be the last patent on the matter," he said.
Whether other social media sites should be concerned depends on Twitter's appetite for patent litigation, the nature of accused services and the availability of prior art, he added.
"That being said, I would suspect that at present Twitter is focused on continuing its remarkable growth and dealing with the current privacy, patent and other litigation matters on its docket.
Twitter has had a remarkable run in generating attention and revenues ... if it were to sue another technology company, it would be risking the validity of the patent as well as potentially placing its revenues at stake as a result of a potential counterclaim. It would not surprise me if this is a defensive play.”