A US judge has thrown out a request for an injunction to
block distribution of the Google Earth mapping
program.
Judge Douglas Woodlock rejected the request from Skyline
Software Systems, which claims that Google Earth infringed its
terrain mapping patent. Skyline first filed a lawsuit in 2004
against Keyhole, a maker of mapping software.
Google became embroiled in the lawsuit after it bought Keyhole
and used the acquired technology to build Google Earth. The full
case is set to be heard later this year.
The search engine giant has also released a new beta version of
the Google Earth software, aimed at giving users an easier
interface.
The beta 4 release also enhances the function that allows users
to add and share data and offers “textured” images, showing the
texture of materials like bricks or glass. The new version is
available in German, Italian, Spanish and French as well as
English.
