CNET NEWS -- July 7 -- Troubled Friendster has been awarded a broad patent covering social networking that could cover activities of rival sites. The U.S. patent, which was awarded June 27, is extremely general, and would seem to cover the activities of many other sites, especially those like LinkedIn that allow people to connect within a certain number of degrees of separation. Asked whether Friendster would sue, President Kent Lindstrom said "It's way too early to say...We'll do what we can to protect our intellectual property." FULL ARTICLE @ CNET NEWS

Mark Brooks: Founder Jonathan Abrams applied for this patent early on.