Godado's shakedown letter

[Posted July 6, 2004 by corbet]

The following is LWN's translation of this letter sent by Godado Italia Srl to Netzapping, the operator of the Portalino financial web site. Note that Italian legalese is not your editor's specialty, so the possibility of mistakes should be taken into account.

GODADO ITALIA SRL
Via della Valle 46/B
20048 Carate Brianza (MI) ITALY)
T +39 0362 80 50 53
F +39 0362 80 39 96
E info@godado.com
I www.godado.it

Spett.le
Netzapping
Miran Pecenik
Via Giulia, 15
34126 - Trieste

The company Godado Italia Srl, with headquarters in Via Della Valle 46b - Carate Brianza - 20048 - (MI - Italy), in the form of its legal representation

Whereas:

a) Godado Italia Srl is a Web operating company and the owner of the Godado search engine;

b) Godado Italia Srl is the owner of a patent titled "A METHOD OF SEARCHING THE INTERNET AND AN INTERNET SEARCH ENGINE"

Date filed: 30-May-2000 - application number 0013119.3 - Country: UK - London;
Date of publication: 5 December 2001, Number: GB2362971 - Country: UK - London;
Date of assignment: 20 February 2004 - Number: GB2362971 - Country: UK - London;
Published in "Patents and Design Journal" 24 March 2004;

c) Godado Italia Srl has filed request (Number 01112245.4) on 18 May 2001 with the European Patent Office (EPO) with a priority declaration for an effective date of 20 May 2000 in relation to the preceding patent application already filed in London with number 0013119.3;

d) Godado Italia Srl filed the Italian translation of the patent claim with the Italian Office of Marks and Patents on 18 June 2004 with protocol number 19061 DE/2004;

e) The patent consists of visualization, in the space of a web page, correlated searches based on textual matching and/or searches semantically correlated with a parent/child formula and/or recommended searches with the principal query every time that a user effects a search, offering in this way key words which can refine the user's search.

f) With this letter we notify you of the patent application in the sense of article 4 of the law on patents for inventions and by so doing we present the objective elements established by article 83 bis to carry out the provisions established by articles 81, 82, and 83 of the aforementioned law.

Therefore:

a) The site(s) of which you/the company Netzapping are the owner displays searches correlated based on textual matching and/or semantically correlated and/or recommended searches every time the user, making use of the procedures intentionally offered, effects a search;

b) Godado Italia Srl has never consented in any way or form this use of its patent;

c) The aforementioned acts can be denoted as the extreme of infringement, in other words, unauthorized use of the patent;

d) This infringement heralds significant economic damage to Godado Italia Srl.

Notice:

Netzapping and Signora Miran Pecenik must eliminate immediately the display of correlated searches as specified in the preamble. The right to move for damages derived from the infraction is reserved.

Attachments: Copies of the translation of the claim and the certificate of filing.

Carate Brianza, Friday, 25 June 2004

(signed)

Godado Italia Srl
President

Doctor Diego Ratti