After four years of attempting to resolve their patent disputes with Amazon, at the end of last month IBM filed 2 claims in Texas against the on-line retailer for patent infringement.
IBM’s patents date back to when e-commerce all started, and relate to concepts of storage and presentation of data in interactive applications, presentation of advertising in interactive applications, and systems of ordering items from an electronic catalogue.
IBM is accusing Amazon of wilfully infringing key patents, given that Amazon was put on notice by IBM of the alleged infringement in 2002. “We filed this case because IBM’s property is being knowingly and unfairly exploited”, said IBM’s senior vice president of technology and intellectual property Dr John E Kelly III.
Amazon’s refusal to enter into discussions with IBM is in stark contrast to many other companies who have signed up to ‘field of use’ patent licences with IBM.
Comments