Back in 2010, Amadeus Burger, head of Construction System Associates and a SPAR Distinguished Achievement Award winner, presented at SPAR International about his new PanoMap software for the Android operating system. You can read about it here, but essentially it’s a way to put point clouds in your pocket, allowing for the storage of thousands of scans on your mobile phone, and coordinated with your CAD, too. Pretty cool.
So, imagine my surprise when I saw headlines saying PanoMap was suing Google over patent infringement because of StreetView! “Not exactly the same thing,” I thought, “but I guess I can see it. No idea CSA had that patented so long ago!”
But, no, it’s not Amadeus and company. Rather, according to Apple Insider, it’s PanoMap Technologies that’s suing Google, and it isn’t even clear what PanoMap is or does. This is literally the only web hit I can find for the company that doesn’t involve their lawsuit with Google/Apple. And I’m pretty good with the google.
Regardless, PanoMap is asserting U.S. Patent No. 6,563,529, titled “Interactive system for displaying detailed view and direction in panoramic images,” and is seeking triple damages from the two tech giants on claims that they had knowledge of the patent before infringing upon it.
Originally, the ‘529 patent was issued to developer Jerry Jongerius in 2003 and subsequently transferred to a shell company called Empire IP in 2011. Finally, PanoMap acquired the patent rights earlier in February.
As the Apple Insider article notes, the description in the ‘529 patent and what StreetView does are actually pretty dang similar. Maybe PanoMap did manage to buy a patent it can make some money off after all.
But then will Amadeus sue PanoMap for trademark infringement?
