Google, the popular search engine, has been sued by rival Overture for alleged infringement of a patent which covers paid placements in search engine results.

Overture, formerly known as GoTo, is based in Pasadena, California. Its advertisers bid for placement on relevant search results and pay Overture only when a consumer clicks on their listing. The company has a US patent to protect its bid-for-placement system.

In its lawsuit filed in a Los Angeles district court, it alleges that Google is infringing its patent, described as “system and method for influencing a position on a search result list generated by a computer network search engine.”

Overture is seeking unspecified damages. Google denies any infringement.

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