Wegmans Food Markets Inc. is facing allegations that its mobile app infringed a patent for online coupon distribution after an Israeli firm said it laid claim to the technology first.
Optinetix (Israel) Ltd. said in complaint Tuesday that the grocery chain violated US Patent No. 7,349,668, which is meant to improve “the efficiency of coupon distribution via mobile communication devices and broadcast media.”
The patent is specifically directed at replacing mailed paper coupons and solving “technical challenges” for consumers who struggled to download and print paper coupons from the internet, according to the lawsuit filed in the US District …