Ask Jeeves Faces Patent Suit by MIT Scientists

Ask Jeeves, the Internet search company that lets visitors use conversational English rather than keywords, was sued for alleged patent violations by two scientists at MIT. The company considers the suit without merit and plans to defend itself aggressively, spokeswoman Heather Staples said. The two scientists, Patrick Winston and Boris Katz, contend that Ask Jeeves infringes two U.S. patents issued in 1994 and 1995 concerning methods for retrieving stored text and database material using “natural language” searches. Their suit, filed in federal court in Boston, seeks to prohibit the company from using or licensing the Internet search products and asks for treble damages for “willful infringement” of the patents. An attorney for the two scientists did not immediately return a call seeking clarification. Shares of Ask Jeeves, based in Emeryville, Calif., fell $7.36 to close at $118.50 on Nasdaq. The shares have risen 746% since the company’s initial public offering in July.