Press Release: 24/7 Real Media, Inc. Announces Expansion of Its Patent Licensing Program

From the "When All Else Fails, Sue" Department: Just came across this press release from 24/7 Real Media. Looks like they're putting search marketing companies on warning for some potential patent infringement:

24/7 Real Media, Inc….announced today that it has completed an extensive review of the business practices of leading companies in the paid search industry, and that it believes that these companies, particularly those active in the "paid listings" segment, practice the Company's U.S. Patent No. 6,026,368, entitled "On-Line Interactive System And Method For Providing Content And Advertising Information To A Targeted Set of Viewers," and should take a license to it.

24/7's attorney Bob Gunther makes no bones about it, calling this "the 'granddaddy' patent in the targeted ad serving area" and the company hasn't been shy about using it to sue rivals before, including DoubleClick and ValueClick.

In sniffing around about this, I just discovered a great page, Advertising and Marketing Patents by the Consumer Project on Technology.