Mar 20, 2003 : F5 Networks Awarded Key Patent

📅 March 20, 2003 - Application traffic management solutions provider F5 Networks Inc. (F5.com -> hostinger.com) announced on Wednesday that it has been awarded a patent for its Cookie Persistence technology, which enables key capabilities for any traffic management and load balancing product.

The US Patent No. 6,473,802, entitled "Method and System for Storing Load Balancing Information with an HTTP Cookie," is a technology that uses an HTTP cookie stored on the customer's computer to allow the customer to reconnect to the same server previously visited at a Web site. This can be important, says F5, when a customer, for example, adds items to a shopping cart and then leaves a Web site without completing the transaction. When the customer returns, says F5, Cookie Persistence can direct the customer to the server that has stored his or her shopping cart information. F5 says it introduced Cookie Persistence capabilities to the traffic management market in 1999.
F5 says it has filed patent infringement lawsuits against Array Networks Inc., NetScaler Inc. and Radware Ltd. in the US District Court in Seattle. The complaint alleges that all three companies are infringing on the Cookie Persistence patent. F5 says it is seeking permanent injunctive relief and damages in the claim.
"We have invested millions in research and development to deliver the best traffic management products to the market," said John McAdam, president and CEO of F5 Networks. "Cookie Persistence is no longer just a consideration in planning and designing Web site servers, it is a critical capability and we have incorporated this functionality into all our BIG-IP products. Although F5 does not like to resort to litigation, it cannot allow the unauthorized use of its intellectual property."