July 17, 2009 - Google is being sued for patent infringement by a company called Personalized User Model (PUM), which has patents issued in 2005 and 2008 which cover search personalization. The 2005 patent, "Automatic, personalized online information and product services," was expanded in the 2008 patent.
The complaint alleges that Google's iGoogle service, its personalized advertising technology, and personalization features found on Google's Web site infringe PUM's patents. Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges willful infringement because according to Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, the law firm representing the plaintiff, Google knew about the 2005 PUM patent because a personalization patent that it filed in 2003 was rejected.