Google won a key court ruling in a patent dispute over the three-dimensional software powering Google Earth. U.S. District Judge Douglas Woodlock on Wednesday decided that Google Earth doesn't
infringe on a patent issued to Skyline Software Systems in 2002.
Skyline, a privately held company in Chantilly, Va., had been pursuing a patent infringement claim since 2004 when it first
sued Keyhole, whose technology powers Google Earth. Mountain View-based Google bought Keyhole for an undisclosed amount in October 2004.
Keyhole's 3-D technology powers mapping software that ranks
among Google's biggest successes outside of its search engine. Google said its Earth software has been downloaded more than 100 million times.