The social network is currently being sued for its use of
the Like button, a feature which was patented by Dutch programmer Joannes Jozef
Everardus van Der Meer in 1998, five years before Facebook’s launch.
The patents were granted as part of the functionality of
Surfbook, a social diary created by Van Der Meer that allowed users to “like” each
other’s content.
Van Der Meer has passed away. However, the patent holder –- Rembrandt
Social Media, LP — has chosen to seek legal action against Facebook, as well as
the company AddThis, for using the patents without permission.
"We believe Rembrandt's patents represent an important
foundation of social media as we know it, and we expect a judge and jury to
reach the same conclusion based on the evidence," attorney Tom Melsheimer,
counsel for Rembrandt, said in a statement.
The lawsuit was filed in Virginia
on Feb. 5.
