Move, Inc. Wins a Crucial Patent Victory for the Real Estate Industry

Move, Inc., announced a final victory in its decade-long patent dispute with Real Estate Alliance Ltd.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., (Nov. 8, 2018) -- Move, Inc., a subsidiary of News Corp and operator of realtor.com®, announced today a final victory in its decade-long patent dispute with Real Estate Alliance Ltd. ("REAL") with the U.S. Supreme Court's Nov. 5 decision to deny REAL's petition to review a U.S. District Court's summary judgment in favor of Move.

"This is a win not only for Move and realtor.com® but also the entire real estate industry," said Move CEO Ryan O'Hara. "REAL used the patent litigation system to target real estate professionals and companies who were engaging consumers in today's dynamic online environment. We are very proud to have championed this cause in support of the real estate industry, and the successful resolution of this case will benefit the professionals in that industry and the consumers they serve."

In 2005, REAL sued a real estate broker and Move customer for patent infringement and then sought to create a class of patent infringement defendants comprised of realtor.com® customers. In response, Move sued REAL in April 2007, seeking to prove that realtor.com® and other real estate-related websites do not infringe on two REAL-owned patents related to online real estate property searches, which Move also asserted to be invalid.

REAL responded by filing patent infringement claims against Move, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and numerous additional real estate agents, brokers, MLSs, home builders, rental companies, and technology providers based, in part, on their use of realtor.com®.

In 2016, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California entered summary judgment that realtor.com® did not infringe REAL's patents and additionally found both patents invalid. After the Federal Circuit affirmed the District Court, REAL filed a petition seeking review of the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. When the Supreme Court denied REAL's petition on Nov. 5, 2018, that decision ended the 11-year old case with a complete victory for Move, NAR, NAHB and the other defendants.

"We are very pleased with the District Court's decision, as affirmed by the Federal Circuit, which confirmed our position that the claims in the patents were invalid and that the patents should not have been issued. Move, at its own expense, defended the real estate industry from REAL, which was seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in licensing fees," said James Caulfield, General Counsel of Move.

While Move recognizes and respects the valid intellectual property rights of others, this litigation demonstrates that Move is committed to vigorously defending itself against false allegations of infringement, Caulfield added.

About Move, Inc.

Move, Inc., a subsidiary of News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV], provides access to unsurpassed real estate information, tools and professional expertise across a family of websites and mobile experiences for consumers and real estate professionals through all stages of the home journey. It has a perpetual license to operate realtor.com® from the National Association of REALTORS®.

The Move network includes realtor.com®, The Home of Home Search, as well as Opcity, Doorsteps®, Moving.com™ and SeniorHousingNet. Realtor.com® pioneered the world of digital real estate 20 years ago, and today helps make all things home simple, efficient and enjoyable. Move also offers a complete solution of software products and services to help real estate professionals serve their clients and grow their business in a digital world, including ListHub™, the nation's leading listings syndicator and centralized intelligence platform for the real estate industry; Top Producer® Systems; FiveStreet℠ and Reesio as well as many free services. For more information, visit realtor.com.