Jun. 11, 2009
Media Contact: Daniel Walsch, dwalsch@gmu.edu 703-993-8785
Fairfax, Va.—Fairfax Circuit Court (19th Judicial Circuit, Virginia) has dismissed a $10 million lawsuit filed by Thomson Reuters. against George Mason University. The lawsuit alleged that the university engaged in reverse engineering to develop interoperability between Zotero, free and open-source software offered by the university’s Center for History and New Media (CHNM), and EndNote®, commercial software sold by Thomson Reuters. The lawsuit was dismissed due to lack of jurisdiction.
“We are pleased with the outcome and look forward to devoting our full attention to developing Zotero,” says Dan Cohen, director of CHNM.
Zotero is directed by academic researchers at CHNM and serves a diverse and interdisciplinary body of scholars around the world. The software helps users collect, manage and cite research sources and has been downloaded more than two million times since 2006. In 2008, Zotero began to provide free, web-based synchronization permitting users to view and share their research libraries anywhere. Last month, Zotero 2.0 introduced cutting-edge group functionality, which allows users to engage in scholarly collaboration by pooling their research data and notes in shared libraries. More than 1,600 research groups have already been created with thousands of participating members.
This summer, Zotero will unveil its highly-anticipated recommendation engine, intended to provide customized suggestions for research resources based on users’ own and group libraries. More information on Zotero may be accessed at http://www.zotero.org.
About George Mason University
Named the #1 national university to watch by U.S. News & World Report, George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Located in the heart of Northern Virginia’s technology corridor near Washington, D.C., Mason prepares its students to succeed in the work force and meet the needs of the region and the world. With strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering and information technology, dance, organizational psychology and health care, Mason students are routinely recognized with national and international scholarships. Mason professors conduct groundbreaking research in areas such as cancer, climate change, information technology, and the biosciences, and Mason’s Center for the Arts brings world-renowned artists, musicians and actors to its stage.
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