Filed under: Management, Law, Internet, Competitive strategy, eBay (EBAY), Technology
In what may end up being a net positive for eBay, albeit possibly an high-priced one, a settlement has been reached in the litigation over patent infringement between eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) and MercExchange. Financial figures of the settlement haven’t been disclosed, but a report from Computerworld indicates that eBay shall purchase the three patents which were the subject of the litigation, as well as a number of other related technologies and developments.
Mike Jacobson, eBay senior vice president and general counsel, was quoted by Computerworld as stating: “In addition to resolving the litigation, this settlement gives us access to additional intellectual property that’ll help improve and further secure our marketplaces.” MercExchange founder and CEO Thomas Woolston, is quoted in the same report as stating: “It seemed like the right time to put it behind us.”
In Might of 2003, a jury in the case found eBay guilty of patent infringement and an injunction was sought and allowed. However, in reviewing the US Court of Appeals decision, the Supreme Court unanimously derailed the long standing practice of issuing immediate injunctions in cases of intellectual property infringement, insisting that in the future, such injunctions must meet the stipulations of a four-factor test.
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