• by Masha Geller , March 28, 2001

If all goes according to Jupiter Media Metrix' plan, soon you'll have fewer decisions to make when planning your online campaigns.

Jupiter said today that it has settled its patent infringement suit against PC Data Inc., which has agreed to drop out of the business of tracking computer usage.

Jupiter also filed similar suits against competitors NetRatings Inc. and NetValue USA, claiming that NetRatings Inc. and NetValue USA also violated the company's patent on a tracking system. In the lawsuit Jupiter Media Metrix seeks a permanent injunction precluding both NetRatings and NetValue from infringing Jupiter Media Metrix' patent as well as monetary damages for their respective past infringements.

Jupiter Media Metrix' patent for a "computer use meter and analyzer," filed on Sept. 5, describes a system that reports in a log file how a personal computer is used. The log files are then assembled and analyzed to ascertain the habits of computer users.

Not surprisingly, NetValue, which this week acquired certain assets of PC Data, responded strongly to Jupiter's lawsuit. Jim Hatch, President NetValue, dismissed the patent infringement claims as "completely without merit."

He said, "not only is our technology process fundamentally different than theirs, but we also doubt the validity of their patent." Describing the Jupiter Media Metrix action as a "competitive maneuver that is badly conceived," Hatch noted, "of course, we will aggressively fight this. We have all the resources and a proprietary technology. We fully expect to prevail."

We'll keep you posted.