At patent trial, Groupon casts IBM as shaking down other tech companies

A logo of IBM is seen at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain February 28, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman

A lawyer for discount e-commerce company Groupon Inc told a court in Delaware on July 19 that International Business Machines Corp has shaken down practically every large tech firm for patent fees.

IBM is suing Groupon for US$167mil (RM678.93mil), accusing it of infringing four basic Internet technology patents, in a case that is being closely watched by the tech industry.