14 DAY TRIAL // Google's Earth, the downloadable application that allows users to view maps and other satellite imagery directly from your desktop, doesn't infringe any copyright, a San Francisco court said today. Google won the lawsuit filed against the company after the judge sustained the search giant's application doesn't infringe a patent granted to Skyline Software Systems in 2002. Skyline first filed a complaint against Keyhole Inc, a company owned by Google and a partner to the developing process of Google Earth, sustaining they use their patent without authorization. Keyhole was acquired by the search giant in October 2004 when the company decided to implement their technology in Google Earth but the financial terms were never published.
"Skyline had been seeking unspecified damages as well as a court order to prevent Google from using the technology. "From the beginning, we felt confident that Google Earth's technology does not infringe Skyline's patent," Google spokesperson Ricardo Reyes said on Wednesday. Skyline did not immediately return phone messages seeking comment late on Wednesday," Fin24 reported today.
As you surely know, Google Earth is more than a simple downloadable application that provides quick access to numerous images and maps. In the past, there were several cases reported when people from every corner of the world were using Google Earth for multiple goals. Besides the volcanoes activity some clients were using the downloadable tool to monitor the tax payers from certain locations but the most interesting case is surely the one reported in Basra. Some time ago, it was reported that terrorists were using Google Earth to organize attacks against the UK troops located in the area. To resolve the issue, the search giant decided to replace certain images with older ones captured before the departure of the army on the territory.