Skip to main content

Priceline “inventor” Walker Digital sues everybody

Jay Walker, Walker Digital
Image used with permission by copyright holder

In a broad move, technology research and development lab Walker Digital—which most famously gave birth to Priceline.com—has filed some 15 lawsuits against more than 100 leading technology companies, alleging they infringe on a broad array of it patents. The company chairman, Jay Walker, is the founder of Priceline.com and the lead inventor on the majority of Walker Digital’s patent and patent applications, and claims a broad number of patents that apply to ecommerce, retailing, online publishing, gaming, education and other industries—and now he wants to be compensated for other companies allegedly using his work.

Recommended Videos

“Filing these lawsuits is not a step we sought or preferred,” said Walker Digital CEO Jon Ellenthal, in a statement. “We have reached out to a wide range of companies that are engaging in commercial activities that clearly depend on inventions created and owned by Walker Digital. Unfortunately, many of these companies have refused to engage in meaningful negotiations that acknowledge the market value they derive from the use of our property.”

Among the companies named in Walkers’ suits; Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Sony, eBay, Groupon, and even retailing giant Walmart.

Walker Digital claims a portfolio of more than 400 issued and pending U.S. and foreign patents that cover its own inventions, along with several hundred additional pending applications—and, unlike so-called patent trolls, Walker Digital developed the patents themselves, rather than purchasing them from other companies or inventors.

“Obviously we want to realize a fair return on the use of our property,” said Jay Walker, in a statement. “We also hope this effort will contribute to the process of moving the asset class of patents and intellectual property out of the stone age of litigation and into an efficient market which, in the end, would benefit America and its economy.”

Walker Digital claims revenues of over $200 million from licensing its patents; Priceline.com, founded by Walker, has a market value over $20 billion, and is one of the few standout successes from the initial dot-com boom.

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
I tried using a paid search engine for a week, and I don’t think I’ll go back
Kagi search bar in light mode.

After making the decision to ditch Google Search a few months ago, I've been making it a point to keep an eye out for new products to try. Amusingly, it took me quite a while to realize there are actually paid search engines out there, but once I knew about them, I was instantly interested.

I decided to try one out for just a week to see how it felt -- I had already improved my search situation a lot by switching my default engine to Qwant, so what I really wanted to know was how much extra benefit I could get from a paid service.

Read more
My favorite web browser is one you’ve probably ignored – and you shouldn’t
Opera browser on a laptop.

The world of web browsers is divided across some deep fault lines. On one hand, you have Chrome and Safari, which are clearly segregated across ecosystems and command the lion’s share of the market. Edge is a distant third, while Firefox and Brave are mostly tied to small enthusiast communities. 

Then we have new entrants like Arc, which are trying to radically reimagine the concept of a web browser. Smushed between the big players and small fish, we have the Opera browser. It has been around for a while, but in the past couple of years, it has really picked up the pace of innovation.

Read more
6 security settings I always change on a new Windows PC
The Windows Security app in Windows 11.

It's tempting to jump straight into personalizing a new Windows 11 PC — apps, wallpaper, the works. I've been there. There's just something about tweaking a new machine that makes it feel like yours. But before the fun starts, I always take some time to lock down the security settings. It's a small effort that pays off with peace of mind, especially with so many online threats lurking out there. After all, nothing kills the excitement of a new PC faster than running into a virus or security scare.

Here are the settings I change every time I get a new Windows 11 PC — and why they matter.

Read more