IBM (the big open source friendly blue giant) sues Amazon
IBM (the big open source friendly blue giant) has announced it has:
"filed two patent infringement lawsuits against Amazon.com for unspecified damages. The lawsuits come after nearly four years of attempts by IBM to resolve its concerns with Amazon.com over infringement of IBM’s patents."
This Forbes article provides more detail on the patents themselves:
"IBM says the technologies covered by the patents govern how the site recommends products to customers, serves up advertising and stores data.
Some of the patents were first filed in the 1980s, when IBM created back-end technology for Prodigy, an early online service that grew out of a joint venture between IBM and Sears, Roebuck & Co. One such patent is titled "Ordering Items Using an Electronic Catalog."
"Given that time frame, these are very fundamental inventions for e-commerce and how to do it on the network," said John E. Kelly III, IBM's senior vice president for intellectual property. "Much, if not all, of Amazon's business is built on top of this property.""
eWeek and this press release from IBM has listed the patents in question:
"The patents that IBM says are being violated (included are links to the full texts of those patents) are:
- U.S. 5,796,967: Presenting Applications in an Interactive Service; [the link here should infact point to this patent: http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/5796967.html]
- U.S. 5,442,771: Storing Data in an Interactive Network;
- U.S. 7,072,849: Presenting Advertising in an Interactive Service;
- U.S. 5,446,891: Adjusting Hypertext Links with Weighted User Goals and Activities; and
- U.S. 5,319,542: Ordering Items Using an Electronic Catalogue."
Amazon's response?
"Amazon declined to comment."
I think I'd be rather lost for words too...however, Slashdot commenters have plenty to say.
Thought for the day?...What comes around goes around.