Jupiter Media Metrix settles patent suit

In a settlement filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, PC Data and its PC Data Online division have agreed to withdraw from the business of tracking computer use. Jupiter Media Metrix is known for measuring Internet usage and analyzing audience behavior over the Net.

Last September, the New York-based company filed suit against PC Data, alleging that its tracking software infringed Jupiter Media Metrix's system for measuring Internet audiences. It said the U.S. Patent and Trademark office issued the software patent on Sept. 5, 2000.

Wednesday's announcement of the settlement comes a day after Jupiter Media Metrix set off another legal battle over its core tracking system. In a similar lawsuit filed Tuesday in the same U.S. District Court, Jupiter Media Metrix claims that the companies NetRatings and NetValue USA implement methods for computer use tracking that infringe its patented technology. --Melanie Austria Farmer, Special to ZDNet News