Friendster granted patent on Social Networking
tagged comment, Friendster, legal, patents, socialnetworking and web2.0
Friendster has been granted a patent that covers online social networks. The company reportedly applied for the patent in 2003, long before its recent decline.
The wording of the patent is broad, vague and seems to cover the activities of a lot of similar websites out there. The patent refers to a “system, method, and apparatus for connecting users in an online computer system based on their relationships within social networks.” Whether we will see legal action from Friendster to pursue licenses from its competitors is not clear.
It seems that the patent’s main claim applies to networks that limit relationships to a certain number of degrees of separation, i.e: you can only contact a member who knows someone you know. However the patent could be made to apply to any social network, as it states that the maximum number of degrees of separation can be defined as any number.
More info at Red Herring.