A company holding a patent for a “Safe Transaction Guaranty” on e-commerce Web sites sued Google, alleging patent infringement.
buySAFE, Inc. contends (read the lawsuit below) that Google’s new Trusted Stores program violates its patent for third-party certification and transactional guarantees for Internet retailers.
buySAFE’s patent itself reads a bit like an insurance contract, containing words and phrases like “underwriting,” “indemnity request,” and “transaction performance guaranty service”:
Safe Transaction Guaranty Patent, No. 7,644,019
The company markets the ‘BuySafe’ service incorporating its patent to e-tailers, callig it a “unique program for increasing website conversion & customer satisfaction.”
The lawsuit alleges that Google and buySafe, Inc. discussed in 2006 and 2008 the possibility of a joint venture or partnership agreement, but that plaintiff “ultimately broke off discussions with Google.”
Plaintiff then claims that Google subsequently hired an executive from an unnamed company that used its BuySafe service, but not before the exec allegedly “pressed buySAFE” for more information about its business.” The lawsuit alleges that the unnamed executive purportedly became Group Product Manager for the Mountain View-based company’s Google Trusted Stores.
This information suggests that the executive is Tom Fallows, a co-founder of e-commerce company Mercantila that was acquired by Infospace in 2010 for a reported $8 million.
You can read buySAFE, Inc.’s patent infringement complaint against Google below, and get case updates from Justia Dockets here.
Complaint: buySAFE Inc. v. Google, Inc.
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