By Gemma Simpson, 24 October 2006 16:45
NEWS
IBM has filed two patent infringement lawsuits against Amazon.com, accusing it of exploiting Big Blue's intellectual property (IP).
IBM holds more than 40,000 patents worldwide and is suing Amazon over breaching five of these patents, including the use of hyperlinks and online advertising.
In a statement, IBM said it has attempted to resolve its concerns with Amazon over the patent infringement for the past four years but the online store has shown no willingness to have meaningful discussions.
Dr John E Kelly, senior VP of IBM technology and IP, said the case has been filed as IBM's intellectual property is being knowingly and unfairly exploited.
Kelly added in a statement: "When someone takes out [intellectual] property, without our permission through a licence, we have no option but to protect it through every means available to us."
It is not Amazon's first patent battle. The online retailer's "one-click" patent claim was thrown out of court in 2001 following its attempt to stop Barnes & Noble using the buying process.
IBM has also been slammed as hypocritical by some anti-patent campaigners following a decision last year to allow open source developers to use 500 software patents without fear of an infringement lawsuit.
Comments
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1. Peter Killen
IBM probably have a patent about sucking in air and extracting the Oxygen too!
Were all in trouble then!
2. Ian Savell
Patents are supposed to promote innovation by encouraging inventors to publish and fairly license their ideas. while others build on them to advance knowledge.
In the fast-moving modern world patents are more often used by big business to restrict the activity of their newer, more agile competitors. Where small businesses do make ground breaking advances their efforts to secure patent protection are often blocked by their bigger competitors, or they are simply bullied into not enforcing their rights by threats of counter action.
The sooner politicians recognise that patents (and copyright) act against the development of a modern economy the better for all of us.
3. anonymous
So IBM claim to have invented hyperlinks and adverts now, do they?
Are you listening, Sir Tim B-L and Colgate, Heinz etc.?
Whn is this lunacy going to stop?
It seems that the USA patent office will allow any company to 'patent' any pre-existing things if they are rich enough...