Netscape, AOL Cleared of Patent Infringement

Netscape Communications Corp. said a federal judge dismissed all of Wang Global’s patent claims against Netscape and America Online Inc., saying Wang’s software is “generically and fundamentally different” from Internet browsers and related technology.

Wang Global, a computer-services company, sued Netscape and AOL in October for patent infringement, alleging that it has a 10-year-old patent that gives it rights to some of the technology used in Web browsers. Netscape makes software to view and display Web sites, while America Online, the No. 1 online service, lets people access the Internet through a telephone line.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said Wang’s patent on the Videotex system in the early 1980s didn’t cover pages displayed on the Internet because it was technology designed for private computer networks relying on one database. Brinkema said Videotex was different from the Internet, where many companies supply information and content and concluded Netscape’s browser and AOL’s software don’t violate the patent.

Netscape Senior Vice President and General Counsel Roberta Katz called the judge’s decision a “significant victory” for Netscape.

Billerica, Massachusetts-based Wang, formerly Wang Laboratories Inc., fell 69 cents to $24.69. Dulles, Va.-based AOL rose $1.75 to $89.75. Netscape fell $1.06 to $27.50.