UnitedCorp puts Facebook and Instagram on Notice for Patent Infringement Related to their Geolocation-based Image Overlays

The iFramed Patent and Patent Application which was allowed by the US Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) on October 3, 2017 is directed to the implementation of a dedicated mobile content sharing application that can acquire and share new user images or videos, but also gives users the ability to select between distinct locally sourced external content items based on their location to be integrated within their own content before sharing. A Canadian patent for iFramed was issued on June 14, 2016 and the technology is patent pending in several international jurisdictions including Japan, Australia, China, India and throughout Europe.

Both Facebook "Frames" and Instagram "Geostickers" provide users with image overlays which are based on the user's geolocations. Users can then post their content to their respective social media accounts. "Frames" and "Geostickers" features are a direct infringement of iFramed intellectual property.

The action follows similar cease and desist notices issued to Snap Inc. (NYSE: SNAP) on October 3, 2017 regarding Snap's use of geo-location based filters which it markets as "Geofilters" and to certain clients of Snap which use its Geofilters.

"Both Facebook and Instagram take intellectual property seriously and provide their users with tools and recourses to protect what they own ," stated Benoit Laliberte, UnitedCorp's President. "Now that they are aware of the iFramed patent, we hope that they will act just as responsibly. Going forward we will give them every opportunity to be able to use the technology legally." 

UnitedCorp will provide the companies the opportunity to discuss various iFramed licensing options for the use of its technology. UnitedCorp provides an array of licensing packages for geolocation-based image overlay filters through the iFramed app which also allows users to post to all major social media sites simultaneously.

Issued under the trade name "iFramed" the U.S. Patent Application Publication no. US 2016/0359987 was derived from International Application Publication No. WO2015/100496 filed December 30, 2014 and claims a first priority date of January 3, 2014, and was allowed by the USPTO on October 3, 2017. The corresponding patent is scheduled to be issued within the following weeks. An extensive list of prior art references were cited, reviewed and considered by the USPTO during this process, including those raised recently by Snap's counsel in the Canadian legal proceedings.

The corresponding Canadian Patent No. 2,887,596 is the subject of an ongoing infringement action as filed with the Federal Court of Canada - court file No. T-1406-16.

The iFramed patent portfolio has been appraised by TechInsights at US$1.04 billion.

About iFramed

iFramed is a dedicated mobile content sharing application and platform which allows its users'-originated content to be posted in real time on their social media accounts with a digital integration of external content selectable by its users based on their geo-location. iFramed, the world's first and only social media posting gateway technology and next generation social network content sharing platform.

About UnitedCorp

UnitedCorp is a Florida-based holding and management company focusing on telecommunications and information technologies. For more information, visit: www.unitedcorp.com

This news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of numerous factors that may be beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made, and the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements should circumstances in management's expectations or opinions change.

SOURCE United American