Season of Goodwill for Nielsen and comScore

In the US, Nielsen and comScore have settled patent infringement lawsuits relating to both firms' online measurement copyrights, and as part of the deal, Nielsen has acquired $19m of comScore common stock.

A complaint was originally filed in March in U.S. District Court in Virginia, Nielsen claiming that comScore had infringed its patent for a 'Computer Use Meter and Analyzer'. Later that month, comScore countersued by alleging infringement of its own online measurement patents by Nielsen Netratings and Nielsen Online.

At the time, both companies requested an injunction to block the other from 'continuing infringement', along with unspecified damages.

The firms have now entered into a cross-licensing agreement whereby comScore will acquire ownership of the four Nielsen families of patents mentioned in the lawsuit, while comScore will grant Nielsen worldwide licenses for the four patents comScore mentioned in its countersuit.

Both parties have agreed not to bring any further patent action against the other in the next three years, and in addition Nielsen has acquired c $19m in comScore common stock, with neutral voting rights, which the company will hold for a period of one year minimum.

Steve Hasker, President, Media Products and Advertiser Solutions at Nielsen, said that the agreement complements the 'substantial investments' Nielsen has made in its intellectual property over the years, while also creating an incentive for both companies to explore future means of collaboration.

comScore President & CEO Dr Magid Abraham added: 'We are pleased to put this matter behind us and to bolster our patent portfolio, enabling the application of this intellectual property to many areas involving the web, such as ad visibility and web engagement measurements. We believe that the agreements we have reached signal a new phase of cooperation for our companies and enable us to better deliver the innovation and value the industry needs.'

Web sites: www.nielsen.com and www.comscore.com .