Without a license agreement, Facebook has used ten patented technologies related to advertising, privacy control and social networking, according to the lawsuit. It was filed Monday in San Jose, California. "Many of the technologies on which Facebook relies were first developed by Yahoo," Yahoo's lawyers wrote. For years, however, Facebook had been "operating in the black." Last month, Yahoo had already threatened Facebook with a lawsuit if no settlement was reached. Initially, it remained unclear what amount Yahoo was demanding from the social network.

The lawsuit comes at an inopportune time for the social network. Facebook is in the midst of preparations for its multibillion-dollar IPO, expected in the summer. A lawsuit of such magnitude could unsettle investors. Yahoo knows that, too, and thus has an advantage in possible settlement negotiations.

Facebook is disappointed

Facebook said it was disappointed with Yahoo. "We will defend ourselves with all means against these puzzling actions," a spokeswoman explained. Most likely, this patent dispute, like so many before it, will end with an out-of-court settlement or the signing of a licensing agreement. However, it highlights a sore point for Facebook. At the end of 2011, only 56 patents were registered on the social network. Compared to other large technology companies, a very low number. Yahoo owns more than 1,000 patents.

Yahoo defended the decision to file suit. The company had spent "substantial resources in research and development" over the years, resulting in patents for which other companies pay royalties.

Bring back the old shine

Without Yahoo's technologies, Facebook and other websites would have fewer visitors and less advertising revenue, the lawsuit says. Yahoo claims to have invented a whole range of basic social networking functions, such as sending messages, displaying news or commenting.

The two Internet groups are competitors in the business of advertising on the Internet. However, Facebook has grown much faster in recent years and most recently had 845 million users. By contrast, Yahoo's star dropped, and with it its revenues. According to its own figures, it last had 700 million users. Yahoo, whose roots go back to 1994, is ten years older than Facebook and was one of the most important companies in the pioneering days of the Internet. The company's CEO Scott Thompson, who only took office at the beginning of the year, is supposed to restore the company to its former glory and seems to be taking a radical course in doing so. The threat of a patent lawsuit was one of the first actions during his tenure. Thompson had already cleaned up internally and replaced numerous top managers. (SDA/DAPD/RTD/DPA)

(Image: Keystone)

In 2008 and 2009, VGT President Kessler came to the Independent Complaints Authority for Radio and Television (UBI) with the complaint that he had been systematically boycotted by SF for years. SF should be instructed to abandon this "television censorship" against the VgT. Among other things, Kessler criticized the fact that SF had not reported on a 2009 decision by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The judges in Strasbourg came to the conclusion that SF had wrongly not broadcast an animal protection commercial by the VGT in 1994.

The UBI did not respond to the submissions, but was then obliged by the Federal Supreme Court to conduct an in-depth examination of the question of whether SF systematically discriminated against the VGT in its reporting. The UBI denied this in its decision of October 2010. The Federal Court has now dismissed the appeal lodged by Kessler. According to the court, an unlawful boycott of the VGT cannot be assumed. There were objective reasons for the relatively small number of articles about the VGT.

"Not a player to be taken seriously"

The mere fact that Kessler considers certain events to be very important does not mean that their non-mention on SF is unlawful. Moreover, the VGT has sufficient channels and opportunities to draw attention to its concerns.

However, according to the judges in Lausanne, some of SF's behavior may indeed indicate a certain animosity towards the VGT. For example, the then SF editor-in-chief Ueli Haldimann stated in an interview in 2007 that "Kessler was not a serious player in the public debate".

This statement was misguided and could have given Kessler cause to fear that the VgGT's concerns would no longer be properly addressed. However, the SRG subsequently clarified that the statement was not directed against the aims and objectives of the VGT, but against the means used. (SDA)

Zweifel is celebrating this with an advertising campaign. With a twinkle in its eye, it compares the past with the present. With the conclusion that behind modern expressions is only what Zweifel has always done. The three subjects focus on the following qualities of Zweifel: innovation and the constant stream of new chip ideas. Quality Check, or the Zweifel fresh service that has been cultivated for 50 years. Swissness, or the Swiss origin of the potato chips ingredients. All this under the motto "The world changes, good things stay good".

The sales folder, which is also part of the campaign, and other POS advertising materials as well as the online banners are intended to publicize facts about Zweifel in the same style. From March, the advertising material created by Advico Y&R can be seen in various media.

Responsible at Zweifel Pomy-Chips: Roger Harlacher, Denise Spirig. Responsible at Advico Y&R: Dominik Oberwiler, Martin Stulz (CD), Lukas Wietlisbach (AD), Annik Weber (graphics), Marion Lim (text), Kerstin Schnyder, Pascal Trütsch (consulting).

The House is currently working on its social media strategy, as the agency writes in a press release. The first measures are expected to go live in the spring.

In the new cooking show "Schwiizer Chuchi mit Ivo Adam", restaurateur Adam will be searching for special, local recipes - between Lausanne and Chur, Schaffhausen and Lugano - from the end of April 2012, according to a press release. Whether a hobby chef, a nonna or a mountain hut warden, Ivo Adam will meet a protagonist in each program who will reveal their recipe to him and then cook the dish together with him. The top chef then adds his own exquisite and personal touch to the recipe.

The protagonists in Ivo Adam's show are always interesting people who not only have a recipe, but also a story to tell. The producers who supply the most important ingredients of the highest quality are also portrayed in the new cooking program. The audience not only learns more about the respective products, but also about the people who make them and discovers the diversity of Swiss cuisine.

The first season starts on Monday, April 30, 2012, and runs until Friday, May 18, 2012. "Schwiizer Chuchi mit Ivo Adam" will be broadcast on SF 1 every weekday at 6.15 pm. SF 1 will show the second season from October 8 to 26, 2012.
 

At the operating result (Ebit) level, a result of CHF 52.5 million was achieved, exceeding the previous year by CHF 5.3 million. According to a statement by the NZZ Media Group, the main factors contributing to the increase were the integration of the Thurgauer Zeitung, the acquisition of the Anzeiger Luzern and the improved results at the radio stations. The Ebit margin was 10 percent compared to 9.1 percent in the previous year. Despite impairments due to value adjustments on financial assets, the Group result increased by CHF 1.6 million year-on-year to CHF 36.9 million. The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that a dividend of 200 Swiss francs per share be paid for the 2011 financial year.

Total operating revenues rose by 1.7 percent year on year to CHF 527.3 million. Advertising revenues showed slight growth in the first half of the year due to the economic recovery. Although this effect weakened in the second half of the year, advertising revenues nevertheless increased by CHF 0.8 million to CHF 194.3 million, mainly as a result of acquisitions. Income from subscription and single-unit sales also recorded a slight increase to CHF 152.5 million (+0.8 million). In an industry environment characterized by production overcapacity, print revenues remained at the previous year's level of 73.4 million Swiss francs. Revenues from electronic media rose by 8 percent to 50.6 million Swiss francs. The significant increase is the result of consistently improved sales in the online sector and at local radio stations and TV stations. Other income increased by CHF 2.7 million year-on-year to a total of CHF 56.5 million. Total operating expenses increased by 0.8 percent to CHF 474.8 million. The increase is mainly attributable to the expansion in the core area of publishing as well as expenses for strategic developments of business units. Cash flow from operating activities increased from CHF 74.4 million to CHF 88.8 million. The equity ratio remained stable at 68.9 percent (previous year 69.2 percent). The Group's headcount increased to 1,655 full-time positions (previous year 1607), mainly due to the expansion in the online and publishing businesses.

The integration process to create a group of companies has largely been completed, and the new organizational structures are well established. These prerequisites form a good basis for mastering future challenges. The structural changes in the media industry will continue to occupy the NZZ Media Group in the 2012 financial year, as will the decline in print advertising expenditures that has been evident since the beginning of the year. By consistently implementing its redefined corporate strategy and, in particular, by expanding its digital business areas, NZZ Media Group intends to counter this.

Karin Keller-Sutter proposed as new member of the Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of the AG für die Neue Zürcher Zeitung currently comprises seven members, whereby the Articles of Association provide for a composition of 7 to 9 members. The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting on April 14, 2012 that Ms. Karin Keller-Sutter be additionally elected to the Board of Directors. Karin Keller-Sutter, 48, is one of the most prominent politicians in Switzerland. She has been a member of the cantonal government and Head of the Department of Security and Justice of the Canton of St. Gallen since 2000. In 2011/2012 she will serve as President of the Government, as she did in 2006/2007, and in October 2011 she was elected to the Council of States. At the end of May 2012, Karin Keller-Sutter will step down from the government council.

> LZ Medien: Sales down slightly

After an intensive exchange with Erich Meier on the specific character of wine, the winery and the winemaker himself, SNK developed new labels for 15 wines and seven brandies, the agency writes in a statement. The new logo - the inverted bottle - is intended to reflect the independence and the pleasurable balancing act between Erich Meier's striving for perfection and his pronounced love of experimentation. As the actual ambassadors of the "new brand," the labels and logo also form the basis for all other points of contact, namely for the Website, the correspondence means and the signaling.

As Head of Marketing & Sales, 35-year-old José Prestera will be responsible for further increasing awareness of the software for the Mac Raskin developed in Zurich, opening up new markets and establishing the application worldwide. He will also be responsible for investor relations.
 

Auf der Maur studied Swiss history at the University of Bern, and began his journalistic career in 1987 as a freelancer at the Boten der Urschweiz. From 1990 to 1993, he worked there as a permanent editor, earned his Ph. I and in 1993 became editor-in-chief of the Boten der Urschweiz as well as a member of the management of the Triner printing company in Schwyz. In 2000, Auf der Maur became domestic editor of the Neue Luzerner Zeitung NLZ. He was responsible for reporting on political events in the federal government and the cantons, as well as for the journalistic implementation and conceptual preparation of federal elections and votes. Auf der Maur is very well connected in parliament, political parties, authorities and associations. In 2007 he became chief reporter of the NLZ and since 2008 he has been chief politics reporter for Zentralschweiz am Sonntag. He succeeds Michael Perricone at the Blick Group.

> Michael Perricone steps down as head of the Politics department

"With the new training initiative, we are responding to the great need for new employees in the Swiss online and digital market. I am very pleased that we can count on such great support from the partners involved. With their commitment, they are helping us to optimally cover market needs with this training initiative," says Ueli Weber, President of IAB Switzerland, with conviction.

The "Digital Marketing Course for Beginners" is designed to provide participants with the current basic knowledge of digital marketing in a simple and understandable way. It covers all relevant areas such as display advertising, ad words campaigns, mobile marketing, moving images, online media planning, social media and performance marketing. The course consists of seven modules, each lasting a whole day. These seven days, including the exam, are spread over around two months. The modules are held on site at the partner companies by experienced lecturers with a strong practical focus. The course is aimed at people from all professions who are new to the field of digital media. The first course starts in April.

After completing the course and passing the final exam, all participants receive an IAB diploma, which also includes the Google certificate. This means that participants are ideally equipped to gain a foothold in digital media or to attend a more advanced course. The course costs a total of 950 francs including the exam and diploma. The IAB is offering a special discount of 150 francs on the course costs for registrations received by the end of June 2012.

Details on the course and registration will be available on the IAB website from mid-March 2012 Iab-switzerland.ch.
 

In German-speaking Switzerland, the first solidarity actions are appearing, as evidenced, for example, by the video entitled "Welschwoching" created in a Zurich office. In a parody, a "Quart d'heure romand," a quarter-hour office break, is staged. Loud laughter, spontaneous hugging scenes, Greek music and popping champagne bottles replace a dull Swiss-German office scene.

The idea for this spot came from Wolfang von Fels from the agency Eyes-Agency and Sebastien Lambércy from the agency Compresso, according to the press release. Sébastien Lambercy is French Swiss and Wolfgang von Fels is from German-speaking Switzerland. Both have lived in German-speaking Switzerland for a long time and are confronted daily with the relationship between the two parts of the country. The Weltwoche article has upset them, because from their point of view once again a cliché is used that is not true in any way. They are convinced that there are no major differences in the work mentality between German- and French-speaking Switzerland. But they appreciate the small cultural differences that enrich the cooperation. And that's exactly how their German-speaking Swiss colleagues, who appear in the video clip, see it.

The clip was created in a spontaneous action on Monday morning and was only posted on the Youtube platform. The reactions in the French-speaking part of Switzerland were not lacking. Within a short time, more than 10,000 people have watched the short film and posted numerous almost only positive comments.

The first three traditional agenda items after the welcome address - approval of the minutes of the 29th Annual General Meeting, the President's annual report and the annual financial statements including the auditors' report - were quickly ticked off, according to the announcement, with the members voting in favor without dissent. The elections were also a formality: the members unanimously confirmed the Board members Rinaldo Dieziger, Christoph Fuchs and Robert Sulser in office for a further two years. The Script Board will therefore continue to be composed as follows:

- Roger Hausmann, Chairman, elected until 2013
- Christoph Fuchs, Managing Director, elected until 2014
- Rinaldo Dieziger, elected until 2014
- Paul Girard, elected until 2013
- Barbara Sollberger, elected until 2013
- Robert Sulser, elected until 2014

Auditors Anton Neuenschwander and Claudia Scherrer also stood for re-election and were confirmed for a further year, as the press release explains. Stephanie Hugentobler, who had been a member of the Board of Directors for many years, including as President from 2003 to 2007, stepped down at this AGM. Roger Hausmann, who succeeded her as President in 2007, paid tribute to her great services to all copywriters in general and script in particular. The members thanked Stephanie Hugentobler, who now lives and writes texts in Djerba, with thunderous applause.

After the elections, the members set the 2012 annual fee unchanged at CHF 520. As no motions had been received prior to the Annual General Meeting, Christoph Fuchs and Roger Hausmann had plenty of time to inform the members about some important developments in 2011. Among other things, they spoke about their impressions of the first examinations for the new federal certificate for copywriters and their disappointment at the low number of participants. "The results disappointed me. I think the candidates were poorly prepared or took the exam lightly."