Priceline.com Sues Microsoft Over Patent

Priceline.com, which lets consumers bid on the Internet for plane tickets and hotel rooms, said it filed suit against Microsoft claiming the software company’s new hotel service violates one of its patents. Priceline.com said it filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Connecticut against Microsoft and its Expedia.com Web site. Microsoft last month unveiled a service on Expedia that lets consumers name their price for hotel rooms. The suit also accuses Microsoft of violating the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act. Priceline.com said it provided Microsoft with confidential information about its business while the two companies discussed a possible joint venture earlier this year. Priceline.com has three patents for its name-your-price business, and 17 others are pending. Shares of Stamford, Conn.-based Priceline.com slid $3.69 to close at $72.25 on Nasdaq; Microsoft fell $1.50 to close at $91.06, also on Nasdaq.