eBay Buys "Buy It Now" Patent
Feb 29, 2008
After a prolonged legal battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court, eBay has made a deal with Virgina-based MercExchange to buy the three patents at the center of the dispute, including the coveted "Buy It Now" patent that allows eBay customers to skip the bidding process and make an immediate purchase.
As part of the agreement announced yesterday, the online auction company will also purchase and license other technology from MercExchange, though no amounts were given.
It's a rather uneventful ending to a case that created a precedent for how courts issue injunctions against companies that are accused of patent infringement.
Tags:
eBay, MercExchange, patents
