Wow, this is a heads-up for all of you real estate agents out there. Apparently REAL believes that they have a lock on any use of online maps in connection with a real estate business:

Federal Lawsuit Alleges Agent Violates 1991 U.S. Patent on Use of Online Maps to Quickly Target Properties for Sale

PHILADELPHIA, July 12 /PRNewswire/ — A local real estate agent who describes herself as being in the top one per cent of all agents nationwide, has been named in a Federal lawsuit that accuses her of patent infringement by using a computer mapping system without acquiring a license to use the enabling technology.

The civil lawsuit against Diane Sarkisian of Ambler, Pennsylvania is the first of its kind. The suit naming Sarkisian was filed Tuesday in Federal District Court in Philadelphia. Lawyers for the patent owner, Real Estate Alliance, Ltd. (REAL), specifically noted that real estate agents throughout the country may be infringing the patent and subject to legal action…

[Real Estate Agent Sued for Offering Online Mapping of Properties, Continued]