"From the outset, we said we would defend ourselves vigorously against Yahoo's lawsuit, and today we filed our answer as well as counter-claims against Yahoo for infringing ten of Facebook's patents," Ullyot said in a statement. "While we are asserting patent claims of our own, we do so in response to Yahoo's short-sighted decision to attack one of its partners and prioritize litigation over innovation."
Yahoo said last month that Facebook is violating 10 patents that relate to privacy, social networking, messaging and online customization. In its court filing Tuesday, Facebook addressed Yahoo's claims one by one, denying allegations that it infringes on any of the patents laid out in the earlier suit.
Experts said that Yahoo filed suit against Facebook in an attempt to settle with the company, which has filed its paperwork to go public in what it widely expected to be a $100 billion IPO this spring.
Yahoo used similar timing to its advantage when it took on Google in a 2004 lawsuit, All Things Digital's Kara Swisher noted last month, which resulted in a settlement that granted Yahoo millions of shares of Google stock.
Yahoo could not immediately be reached for comment on the countersuit.
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