Answers.com sues Babylon

March 9, 2006

Search engine Answers.com has sued Babylon, creators of language-translation software, for copyright infringement and violation of intellectual property.

The suit was filed in the Tel Aviv District Court on Wednesday, according to a report on the Hebrew news Web site Ynet. Patent 121,457, under the headline "Practical Computer Dictionary and Thesaurus," deals with searches using specific "word signs," which the engine uses to find words close in meaning, the news site said.

Answers says Babylon infringes on this patent and is demanding $217,000 in damages and an injunction preventing Babylon from continuing to violate Answers' patent rights, the site reported.

Babylon offers 25 dictionaries in 13 languages, according to the company's Web site.

"The award-winning Babylon application features a simple popup interface that delivers instant translations and definitions of any term or expression displayed on screen. Babylon's strength lies in its patented technology, which enables immediate recognition of any word or value, in any Windows application," the company said via its site.

Answers.com offers a service called "1Click Answers," which "allows a user to click on any word on the screen, in any program, for instant explanations," the company said via its Web site.

"Answers.com is continually adding and optimizing content to provide the 'perfect page' to our loyal user base, and to users finding our content through the search engines," the company site said.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International