Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

E-Commerce To Evolve Next Month As Amazon Loses the 1-Click Patent (thirtybees.com)

Posted by msmash on from the up-next dept.

An anonymous reader shares an article: Next month e-commerce will change forever thanks to Amazon. September 12 marks 20 years since Amazon filed for their 1-Click patent. This means that the patent will expire and the technology behind it will be free to be used by any e-commerce site. Starting next month more and more sites will be offering a one click checkout experience. Most major sites have already started development with plans to launch soon after the patent expires. Amazon applied for the 1-Click patent in September of 1997, the actual patent was granted in 1999. The whole idea behind the patent is when you store a user's credit card and address you only need a single click to order a product. For the last 20 years Amazon has kept a tight hold on this technology, they have only licensed it to one company: Apple. No one knows what Apple paid to license the technology, but the value of the patent has been assessed at 2.4 billion dollars by sources. Over the last 20 years Amazon has defended the validity of the patent in several cases, even having to revise the patent at one point. But, now the wait is almost over and this technology is about to make it into the open market.

6 of 141 comments (clear)

  1. Never should have been granted by tomhath · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This patent exemplifies everything that's wrong with software patents.

    1. Re:Never should have been granted by magarity · · Score: 5, Insightful

      On the other hand, it illustrates nicely that even bad patents are prevented from being permanent problems, unlike the eternal monster copyright has become.

  2. Who cares? by vadim_t · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I always thought it was a bad idea and never enabled it.

    Amazon seems to have really wanted me to enable it, but what's best for Amazon isn't necessarily best for me.

    1. Re:Who cares? by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      One click is the Amazon version of having candy bars at the checkout stand: quite a few people will make an impulse purchase without thinking about it twice.

  3. 20 Years to use a simple feature? by evolutionary · · Score: 4, Informative

    This is why we need to redo the current US patent laws. They don't encourage innovation, they just protect corporations at the expense of public benefit. In addition, they actually inhibit innovation and intellectual evolution.

    --
    "Imagination is more important than knowledge" - Einstein
  4. What?! by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 5, Informative

    September 12 marks 20 years since Amazon filed for their 1-Click patent.

    Shit, I'm old.

    --
    #DeleteFacebook