Photo by Sebastian Bergmann

In a lawsuit filed today in San Jose, California, Yahoo is claiming Facebook violated ten of its advertising-system patents. msnbc.com reports:

Yahoo sued Facebook on Monday over 10 patents that include methods and systems for advertising on the Web, according to a copy of the lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed in a San Jose, Calif., federal court, marks the first major legal battle among technology giants in social media and a major escalation of patent litigation that has already swept up the smartphone and tablet sectors and high-tech stalwarts such as Apple, Microsoft and Motorola.

Pretty big deal considering Facebook’s upcoming IPO.

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