Google sued by University of Southern California over imaging technology

By Blake Brittain

The University of Southern California has sued Google GOOG in Texas federal court, alleging that the tech giant's Google Earth, Maps and Street View applications violate its patent rights.

USC said in the complaint that Google's map and navigation products infringe two patents related to technology for overlaying two-dimensional images onto three-dimensional models.

A spokesperson for Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the complaint on Tuesday. USC said in a statement that it was "seeking to be fairly compensated for the university’s important contributions in this area."

Los Angeles-based USC said technology developed by one of its professors "transformed the way the world experiences digital maps" by integrating 2D images of locations into navigable 3D models. USC said that Google's technology that enables users to explore 3D landscapes, zoom between locations and virtually navigate streets infringes its patents.

The lawsuit said Google knew of the patented technology for years, having given the university and the professor a research award in 2007 for the project that led to the patents.

USC requested an unspecified amount of monetary damages and a court order blocking the company from using its technology.

The case is University of Southern California v. Google LLC, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, No. 1:25-cv-01734.

For USC: Timothy Yoo of Bird Marella Rhow Lincenberg Drooks & Nessim LLP

For Google: attorney information not yet available