Google Prevails in Suit Over Google Earth

A U.S. judge ruled that the 3D modeling software used in Google Earth does not violate the patent of a competitor.

Reuters has the story:

Judge Douglas Woodlock of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in Boston denied a complaint by Skyline Software Systems Inc. that the Google Earth mapping software of Google's Keyhole Inc. infringed Skyline patents.

The judge also denied motions from both parties on whether the patents in question were valid, but left the possibility for either party to reassert these issues if they do so before April 20. He canceled a planned trial date set for June.

In his ruling, Woodlock held that Google's system does not attempt to render views of Earth's terrain, a key claim of the patent held by Skyline, which is based in Chantilly, Virginia, and offers its own "fly through" three-dimensional software.

See also: Suit Asks Court To Shutdown Google Earth