Chipotle, Panera accused of violating tech patents

A Texas-based non-practicing entity this week filed lawsuits against a bevy of companies, including restaurant chains Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panera Bread, for allegedly infringing its patents for online ordering, search and payment technology.

Landmark Technology LLC, which according to its complaints has a physical location in Tyler, Texas, filed nine separate lawsuits in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas Monday.

The federal court has become a popular venue for patent infringement cases because of its set of local rules for such cases and rather fast trial settings.

The nine defendants include: Chipotle, Panera, Allegiant Travel Company, AmerisourceBergen Corporation, Choice Hotels International Inc., Shutterstock Inc., Wayfair Inc., Weight Watchers International Inc. and Zoetis Inc.

In particular, Landmark accuses Chipotle, Allegiant and AmerisourceBergen of infringing U.S. Patent No. 5,576,951, entitled “Automated Sales and Services System.”

The claims of the ‘951 patent relate to “a computer search system for retrieving information” and “a computerized system for selecting and ordering a variety of information, goods and services.”

Landmark accuses Panera, Shutterstock and Wayfair of infringing U.S. Patent No. 7,010,508, entitled “Automated Multimedia Data Processing Network.”

Read the Full Article

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

Burger King proves that heavy discounts aren’t always necessary

The Bottom Line: The fast-food chain generated a strong first quarter, despite a tough environment, largely by focusing on its operations and its food.

Beverage

As cocktails hit $30-plus, consumers are opting to drink less—or stay home

Rising costs are pushing prices up at the bar, and consumers are pre-gaming to cut costs. Can restaurants and bars win them back with a more engaging experience?

Marketing

Raising a toast to the Mother’s Day traffic rush

Marketing Bites: The holiday is traditionally the busiest day of the year for restaurants, and the industry could use the bump.

Trending

More from our partners