NetRatings Sues 2 Adware Companies

Nielsen//NetRatings said Thursday that it had filed suit against adware companies WhenU.com and 180solutions, saying they had infringed on patents related to the collection, analysis and reporting of computer usage and activity. The announcement came as part of the company's first quarter results. Details on exactly what patents the two companies are accused of infringing upon were not given.

NetRatings' patent enforcement process began early last year. Its efforts have resulted in licensing agreements with Visual Sciences LLC, SageMetrics Corp., and Omniture, and it has filed complaints against Coremetrics, Sane Solutions LLC, and WebSideStory. Neither 180solutions nor WhenU could be reached for comment.