Listingbook LLC, an online real estate technology firm, has filed a lawsuit against Market Leader, an online technology and marketing firm, alleging Market Leader has infringed on its customer relationship management patent, which the company says is the core of its collaborative online real estate offering.
The action, filed against Market Leader, Inc., in the U.S. District Court of the Middle District of North Carolina, alleges infringement of Listingbook’s U.S. Patent No. 7,454,355. According to the claim, the process governed by this patent, which covers a method and system for providing real estate information on a computer network, was developed and implemented well more than a decade ago.
In its statement, Listingbook said that through its Market Leader Professional product, Market Leader provides a competitive online customer relationship management system which the suit claims is not only is a direct infringement of the ‘355 patent, but also actively induces its customers to infringe through their use of the system.
Listingbook’s action seeks monetary damages for past infringement as well as a permanent injunction against future infringement by Market Leader and its customers.
As of presstime, Market Leader had not issued a statement on the suit.
