Sina Technology News, early morning of March 8 Beijing time, according to foreign media reports on Wednesday, informed sources revealed that under the leadership of Yahoo's new CEO Scott Thompson, apart from large-scale layoffs, the company will also formally sue Facebook for patent infringement, accusing Facebook of infringing on Yahoo's online advertising and social networking patents without paying the corresponding patent fees.
According to insiders familiar with the negotiations between the two companies, Yahoo will take "formal action" over the issue of patent infringement. This source pointed out that Yahoo is very likely to file an infringement lawsuit against Facebook.
At the end of last month, Yahoo issued a statement saying that the company has asked Facebook to pay licensing fees for 10 to 20 patent technologies, involving multiple fields such as online advertising, personalized websites, social networks, and messaging. Yahoo stated that if the two companies cannot reach an agreement, the company will take legal action to resolve this issue. Another insider revealed that Yahoo will attempt to secure a certain percentage of Facebook's future revenue.
In its statement at the time, Yahoo said: "Yahoo has a responsibility to protect the rights of its shareholders, employees, and other stakeholders. Yahoo has made substantial investments in these innovative areas, and some other companies have already signed patent licensing agreements with Yahoo. Therefore, we strongly urge Facebook to follow other companies and reach a patent licensing agreement with Yahoo and pay the relevant fees; otherwise, we will have to resort to legal means to protect our own rights."
As the largest portal site in the U.S., Yahoo has now been surpassed by Facebook in the display advertising market and cannot be compared with Google in the online search market. Yahoo is currently looking for new ways to revitalize the company.
So far, both Yahoo and Facebook have indicated that they will not comment on this report. On the other hand, there is also widespread doubt about whether Yahoo's move will boost the morale of the company or further erode existing employees' confidence in the company's future. (Lin Jing)
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