Arbitron Sues Media Audit

Arbitron is suing competitor The Media Audit.
The research firm said it has filed a patent infringement suit against parent company International Demographics Inc. in a U.S. District Court in Texas. It alleges that Media Audit infringes on three Arbitron patents for electronic audience measurement technology. It asks the court for a permanent injunction and damages.
Arbitron President/CEO Steve Morris said in the company’s statement that Arbitron welcomes competition. “However, we must take action against companies that attempt to profit from our innovation by infringing Arbitron’s patents on the technology that we have worked so long and at such expense to develop. We have invested significant financial and other resources during the last 15 years in the development and testing of our PPM System and we will work aggressively to protect our investment and our intellectual property.”
Media Audit officials issued a statement saying they had not seen the petition.