It appears that AOL will settle some of a patent conflict with Vringo (News - Alert). The specifics of the settlement have yet to be reported, but another lawsuit is still pending.

On July 19, Vringo, a video-ringtone company merged with Innovate/Protect, which had sued not just AOL but also Gannett, Google, IAC/InterActiveCorp., and Target (News - Alert) Corp., over patent disputes. Eight patents were also acquired from Lycos by the company, with two of them allegedly being infringed upon.

The suit considers Google the primary defendant based on how the search engine ranks ads on search results. Gannett and Target are Google customers, and IAC and AOL (News - Alert) are Google partners, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. AOL is still a defendant in the main lawsuit.

However, the settlement relates to Advertising.com – an AOL search product for which AOL allegedly infringed upon the same two patents.

On June 4, a hearing on the lawsuit was favorable to Vringo, The Journal said. It related to “disputed terms” in the lawsuit, The Journal adds. A trial is expected to start on Oct. 16.

When it comes to money, Vringo wants both past and future royalties for the infringement, according to The Journal.

Vringo is a provider of software platforms for mobile social and video applications, TMCnet said. It provides video ringtones and other mobile software platforms. 

The boards of both Vringo and Innovate/Protect unanimously approved the merger, according to a Vringo press release. "We are pleased that our shareholders have shown their overwhelming support for the merger with Innovate/Protect,” Andrew Perlman, CEO of Vringo, said in a statement last month. "We look forward to establishing a world class technology company, focused on innovating, licensing, and protecting our current and future intellectual property and technologies."

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