The suit alleges Google is using a distributed database technology in its online service that was developed by Kenneth P. Baclawski, an associate professor at Northeastern and co-founder of Jarg. Northeastern owns the patent and Jarg, a company that specializes in distributed search technologies, holds an exclusive license to it. The suit seeks a jury trial and an injunction to prevent Google from further infringing on the patent, and asks for royalty payments and damages.

The patent covers a method for chopping up database queries into multiple portions and having each part processed by a different computer. This allows for much faster searching of huge databases, like Google's vast index of Web pages on the Internet.

According to the Boston Globe, Jarg learned of the alleged infringement from a Boston-area lawyer who thought Google's search technology resembled Baclawski's patented method. Michael Belanger, president of Waltham, Mass.-based Jarg, told the newspaper it took him 2 1/2 years to find lawyers who would take the case on a contingency basis.

The suit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Marshall, a venue that specializes in patent cases and is seen as a friendly venue for patent litigators. According to the research firm LegalMetric, patent plaintiffs who sue in Marshall win 78 percent of the time.

Google said in a statement it was aware of the complaint and considers it to be “without merit.”

The suit alleges Google is using a distributed database technology in its online service that was developed by Kenneth P. Baclawski, an associate professor at Northeastern and co-founder of Jarg. Northeastern owns the patent and Jarg, a company that specializes in distributed search technologies, holds an exclusive license to it. The suit seeks a jury trial and an injunction to prevent Google from further infringing on the patent, and asks for royalty payments and damages.

The patent covers a method for chopping up database queries into multiple portions and having each part processed by a different computer. This allows for much faster searching of huge databases, like Google's vast index of Web pages on the Internet.

According to the Boston Globe, Jarg learned of the alleged infringement from a Boston-area lawyer who thought Google's search technology resembled Baclawski's patented method. Michael Belanger, president of Waltham, Mass.-based Jarg, told the newspaper it took him 2 1/2 years to find lawyers who would take the case on a contingency basis.

The suit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Marshall, a venue that specializes in patent cases and is seen as a friendly venue for patent litigators. According to the research firm LegalMetric, patent plaintiffs who sue in Marshall win 78 percent of the time.

Google said in a statement it was aware of the complaint and considers it to be “without merit.”