The battle between firms keeping score of Internet traffic is heating up as The Nielsen Company has just filed a lawsuit against ComScore for violating five patents relating to the collection, analysis and reporting of information concerning computer activity.

The complaint was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Virginia. Nielsen charges that ComScore’s various products infringe upon its patents, including one for a “Computer Use Meter and Analyzer.”

Ironically, Nielsen was once itself sued over this same patent by Jupiter Media Metrix. In 2002, the parties came to a settlement whereby Nielsen/NetRatings gave Jupiter a $15 million cash infusion in exchange for the patents in question.

Three years later, Nielsen began looking to protect its Web analytics turf, bringing lawsuits against at least four other companies. Since then, it’s been relatively quiet, but as the measurement of Internet traffic holds greater sway over the decisions of advertisers and marketers, two of the larger companies in the business are now vying with each other over valuable intellectual property.

In the lawsuit, Niesen asks for an injunction against further infringement, damages, and a finding that the case rates “exception,” meaning an award of its attorneys’ fees.

3/19/2011 8:59 AM PDT by TMZ Staff  

Knut — the famous polar bear raised by zookeepers in Germany — died Saturday in his compound, a Berlin zoo official announced today.Knut became famous after he was rejected by his mother at birth and raised by zookeepers at the Berlin Zoo. According to one report, he was found floating in the water in the zoo’s polar bear enclosure on Saturday. Bear keeper Heiner Kloes was quoted as saying, “He was by himself in his
compound, he was in the water, and then he was dead … He was not
sick, we don’t know why he died.”A cause of death is not known, but tests are expected to be performed Monday.He was 4.

Tags: R.I.P.

This year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in the race’s history and could set a new speed record. Host Liane Hansen gets an update from Tim Bodony of the Alaska Public Radio Network.

Copyright © 2011 National Public Radio®. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required. LIANE HANSEN, host: Last Sunday, I was in Alaska standing at the starting line for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The annual 1,161-mile race takes mushers across the state from Anchorage to Nome, through harsh terrain and bitter cold. Tim Bodony is a reporter with Alaska Public Radio Network. He is in Kaltag, Alaska. Good morning, Tim. Mr. TIM BODONY (Reporter, Alaska Public Radio Network): Good morning, Liane. HANSEN: Now, you’re at a checkpoint there near the Yukon. What team is looking strongest to you so far? Mr. BODONY: Well, that’s really hard to say. That’s an interesting development in this race, which has become probably the most competitive race in recent memory. The lead is up for grabs, but John Baker is a name to watch as the race moves into the final stages. He is an Alaskan native from Kotzebue. He has a very strong team. He usually has larger dogs that are built for the tough conditions he deals with out on the coast. Hugh Neff is also doing very well – nickname: Huge Mess. An interesting character originally from the Chicago area, has yet to win a race, and has burned out several times near the end but he also has a very strong team. HANSEN: What have the conditions been like thus far, both in terms of weather and the trail? Mr. BODONY: The conditions have been outstanding for people, though challenging at times for dogs, and challenging in that we’ve seen temperatures around 10 to 20 above zero – that may be chilly for you but that’s warm for Alaskans and very warm for sled dogs. Overnight temperatures, though, have been much better and more conducive to running. The skies have been clear. I haven’t seen a cloud for what seems like weeks. That has somehow led to a very fast race, despite those warm temperatures during the day. Mushers at the front are still finding a way to do the bulk of their traveling at night in the cooler weather. HANSEN: This year’s field is the smallest since 1999 – 62 mushers. And there are women. How are they doing? Mr. BODONY: There are definitely two to three women who have been contending for a spot in the top 10. A fan favorite, Dee Dee Jonrowe, has been doing very well. Jessie Royer, also a younger musher from Fairbanks, is also putting a very strong team through the trail this year; and Aliy Zirkle, a former wildlife biologist who also lives in the Fairbanks, Alaska area, is running in the top 20. HANSEN: So, from where you are and what you know, any predictions? Mr. BODONY: I’m not going to do that on the radio. This is anybody’s race. It’s one of the most fascinating that I’ve been involved with in eight years in Alaska. They’re all so close and running at such an amazingly fast rate. We could very easily see a new speed record this year. HANSEN: Tim Bodony is a reporter with the Alaska Public Radio Network, and we reached him in Kaltag, Alaska. Thank you. Have fun. Mr. BODONY: You’re welcome. HANSEN: This is NPR News. Copyright © 2011 National Public Radio®. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to National Public Radio. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR’s prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio.

The couple’s separation comes following a very awkward birthday party.
A spokesperson for the couple confirmed the break-up, adding: ‘We are confirming that they mutually have decided to part ways.’
The news comes after The A-Team actress threw an intimate surprise party for The Social Network star and made a gushing speech in front of guests that appeared to embarrass Justin.
Rumors were beginning to circulate that things were not great between the couple when the singer turned up to last month’s Academy Awards with his mother, not Jessica.
Further cracks had started to show in the relationship earlier that month when Jessica threw the party for Justin at his home at the beginning of the year.
A source says that Jessica was overcome with emotion when she stood up to toast her boyfriend on reaching the milestone.
She quickly teared-up as she reminisced about the first time she met Justin and joked about how she virtually stalked him into going on a date with her.
The pair had exchanged numbers on a night out in 2007, but when Justin failed to call Jessica a few days later, she took matters into her own hands and began driving toward his house.
She said that before she knew it, she was outside his house and he still hadn’t called her. She joked about how she felt like a stalker, but that thankfully he did eventually call and the rest was history.

During the birthday speech, the actress gushed about how utterly head over heels in love she was with the singer-turned-actor and went on at length about how much he meant to her.
But after Jessica had finished her speech, Justin appeared to dismiss her emotional speech by standing up and yelling: ‘Yeah b*tches!’
‘It was really awkward,’ the source said. ‘Justin’s reaction was almost disrespectful. He just laughed it off.’
They added: ‘The two remain friends and continue to hold the highest level of love and respect for each other.’
The pair had temporarily split up a few months earlier in November of last year following rumors that Justin had allegedly cheated on Jessica.
Today’s news is said to be Justin’s decision and sources say the actress is simply ‘devastated’.
But MSNBC is reporting that a reliable source has told them Jessica is far from devastated.
Backing Jessica up, the source has revealed: ‘Jessica is not devastated, that’s just cr*p.’ They added: ‘She’s a very independent, proud woman with her own career, she’s fine.’