Ebay fined $29.5M!!!!

[edesignuk]

From /. Article:
pigreco314 writes "As reported by Washington Post and many others a federal judge Wednesday ordered online auction house eBay to pay $29.5 million to a Virginia inventor (former CIA engineer) who accused the company of stealing his ideas." This case has been going going on for awhile, but this looks to have some finality. Patenting "Buy it Now" is almost as stupid as One Click Shopping.

Full Aritcle.

Other relevent links:
Washington Post
Google

CrAzY!

 

[tazo]

I wonder what fraction 29.5 million is of the amount of money scammed from people on ebay

 

[Abstract]

I hate people. People generally make me sick, as to the stupid people in the jury. Kill me...... Kill HIM!!!

 

[idkew]

too bad my great grandpa did not patent the automobile. "anyting with wheels that has an engine and carries people."

seems about the scope of a buy it now patant.

 

[jbomber]

that's kinda shocking. i wonder if anyone on the jury had been scammed by ebay before. THAT'd be poetic justice.

 

[Abstract]

I feel sorry for the guy who didn't patent "Buy One, Get One Free". He missed the boat.

 

[Sun Baked]

This is getting a bit ridiculous with the "land mine" patents.

There's a good chance that some of these products evolved naturally that are being extorted, and the American economy is full of copy-cat products that evolved by working their way around existing products and improving them in the process.

The only reason the PC industry exists is because of creative methods companies/individuals used to get around existing patents.

There's way too many people that file patents soley to extort money in the future, and make zero attempts to even bring their ideas to market.

It's not like e-Bay went in and searched the patent database to steal this idiots ideas.

 

[irmongoose]

Wait wait... so the patent is "a way to buy items with a fixed price on the internet" ? Isn't every single internet shop selling "items with a fixed price" ? It doesn't make sense!



irmongoose

 

[Stelliform]

Originally posted by irmongoose
Wait wait... so the patent is "a way to buy items with a fixed price on the internet" ? Isn't every single internet shop selling "items with a fixed price" ? It doesn't make sense!



irmongoose

Look out Amazon, you are next!


But what I found most shocking in the article is that eBay stands to Gross a measly $2 Billion this year!! I had no idea!

 

[King Cobra]

-->I hate people. People generally make me sick, as to the stupid people in the jury. Kill me...... Kill HIM!!! (Abstract)

We have a winner!

BTW: The Buy It Now is an option, not a requirement. And it is, by far, not stupid. Otherwise, why would we use it on Auctions?