EBay Fined $29.5M in Patent Case

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.

Comments

Patenting Buy It Now, Wireless Email, Highway 401!

[Anonymous Coward]

Gimme a break! I'm from Waterloo Ontario, I know a lot of people who work for RIM. Everyone at that company thinks the patent NTP holds on the "wireless sending of email" is a huge joke, much like most investors do. Then you hear about someone patenting "Buy it Now", or at least the principle of it. Whatever I say.. I want to put a patent on driving on the 401... Only i'm allowed to use it, and if anyone else wants to, they best be coughing up some coin!!!

patenting the patenting process?

[abes]

I'm taking out a patent on creating frivolous patents, and then suing people. I should be rich soon.

So, how do you VOTE AMERICANS?

[SubtleNuance]

Whats that i hear? The rush of brick/mortar compaines *rushing* out to patent every trivial aspect of their buisness in order to prevent others from "stealing their IP".

America has finaly started down the slippery slope... the one where entrenched and unreasonable Plutocrats rebuild the economy with rules that raise the barrier to entry so high that none can assault their position.

So, what now? Will the local cement-driveway-pourers patent their forming method? Will whitecastle patent the shape of their hamburgers (square) or the holes? What NONSENSE will become a government-protected monopoly in the USA?

I hope all you Slashdotters are paying attention to the Democrat Candidate's race. Only Kucinich and Gephardt have said they'd pull out of the WTO -- pulling out of the WTO keep the Corporate Whores from further utilizing WIPO as their favourable-IP-legislation body. Want to end the Corporate homesteading of Ideas? Vote the right way!

Patenting patents?

[daveoj]

Perhaps I should attempt to patent the idea of granting patents? Hmmm...

Hey

[Uncle Gropey]

I invented "Read More...". You all owe me bigtime.

Re:By Clicking This Link: +1, Ingenious

[Anonymous Coward]

You can't do that!

SCO holds the exclusive rights to anything that uses electrons!

Re:Suggestive selling

[illuvata]

I thought this might be a good model to patent, then I realized the local Burger King has been practicing this for years already.

So?