It turns out two guys in Pasadena were driving around with cameras mounted to their cars long before Google Street View appeared. Meet Enrico Di Bernardo and Luis Goncalves, Caltech grads who have filed a patent infringement suit against Google. Back in 2000, Luis was looking for a new apartment, according to a press release put out by their lawyers, so the two drove around in Enrico’s car, with a camera mounted on top of the car, collecting images and corresponding GPS coordinates for a system they initially named the ScoutTool (later StreetBrowser). They believed the data they collected could be used for business listings, real-estate listings, and more. According to the press release, their Streetbrowser system was posted on the website of the City of Pasadena "for several years in the early 2000s. Their lawyer tells the Pasadena Star News that "plaintiffs should be entitled to 'no less than a reasonable royalty.'"
· Christie, Parker & Hale, on Behalf of Its Client, Vederi, LLC, Sues Google for Patent Infringement Based on Google Street View [BusinessWire]
· David and... Google: Two former Caltechers sue the behemoth for patent infringement [PSN]
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