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Legal Issues

by Mike Masnick

Thu, Aug 27th 2009 12:18pm




Filed Under:
e-commerce, one-click, patents, two-click

Companies:
amazon, cordance


Amazon Wins Lawsuit Saying It Didn't Infringe On One Click Patent (A Different One)

from the keep-it-straight-now dept

You probably recall that Amazon holds a rather infamous patent, on one-click ordering online, that has been involved in a fair amount of controversy (and ongoing review). However, less well-known was that, back in 2006, another company, Cordance, claimed that it actually held a patent on one-click ordering and sued Amazon for violating its patent. I hadn't heard much else about the case since, but Michael Scott alerts us to the news that Amazon has won the lawsuit, after a jury found that the company didn't infringe on two of the patents in question, and that the third patent was invalid. The key to victory? Apparently, Amazon explained that the patents in question actually described a process that involved two clicks rather than one.

14 Comments | Leave a Comment

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  1.  
    identicon
    Ryan, Aug 27th, 2009 @ 12:21pm

    I bet hurry up and submit my three-click patent, I guess...

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  
    icon
    Steve R. (profile), Aug 27th, 2009 @ 12:46pm

    Spin Doctors at Work

    I wonder how much slicing and dicing of the verbiage occurred to invalidate one patent will "preserving" their (Amazon) patent.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  
    icon
    Chronno S. Trigger (profile), Aug 27th, 2009 @ 12:49pm

    one click?

    I don't know how the one click works. Don't you have to tell it what payment method you have to use and what address you want it shipped to and what shipping method you need? And of course, they need to attempt to sell you their credit card. And you initially have to click on the link to the item you wish to one click purchase. How is that one click?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  
    icon
    ChurchHatesTucker (profile), Aug 27th, 2009 @ 12:52pm

    Re: one click?

    You fill out the form beforehand. So when you're on the site it's, er, several clicks, but THEN you SUBMIT the order with ONE CLICK(tm) and that's totally different than anything anybody would have come up with ever.

    Yeah, I don't know how they sleep at night either. Prolly just wipe their tears with dollar bills....

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  
    icon
    :Lobo Santo (profile), Aug 27th, 2009 @ 12:56pm

    Re: one click?

    With an up-to-date customer database; pre-recorded "use this credit card" info, no validation of shipping address (or rather, inline clickless address verification, and provided the customer is already logged in; then a one-click "Buy Now" operation could be quite seamless, as well as literally being 'One Click.'

    [ sarcasm ]
    I personally think the creators of OC should sue Amazon over their One Click patent--ya know, for trademark infringement.
    [ /sarcasm ]

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  6.  
    identicon
    !nterroban?, Aug 27th, 2009 @ 1:02pm

    i think now would be a good time to register a patent on 'one "touch" ordering' for pages specifically created for or recognising smart/touch phones.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  7.  
    icon
    Sean T Henry (profile), Aug 27th, 2009 @ 1:21pm

    Re: Re: one click?

    Sleep is just One-Click away (Patent pending).

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  8.  
    icon
    scarr (profile), Aug 27th, 2009 @ 1:33pm

    Re: one click?

    One click = default settings

    Regardless of what these people claim, I can and do make one click purchases a number of times a week.

    In many cases, you don't have to even click on the page for the item if you don't want to. The buttons are provided up front.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  9.  
    icon
    Chronno S. Trigger (profile), Aug 27th, 2009 @ 1:53pm

    Re: Re: one click?

    Yeah, that sounds scary as hell. Don't use the one click option if you have known issues of "click happy" (like me).

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  10.  
    icon
    HolaJohnny (profile), Aug 27th, 2009 @ 5:06pm

    Re: Re: Re: one click?

    You should be scared... internet porn has certainly caused many cases of "click happy:

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  11.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Aug 27th, 2009 @ 5:27pm

    Re: one click?

    "I don't know how the one click works."

    Every time you click your mouse you owe me money. Now pay up.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  12.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Aug 27th, 2009 @ 5:34pm

    Re: Re: one click?

    and if you click it two times it's a double click so you owe me thrice as much (single click = $ + single click = $, single click + single click = double click = more $. $ + $ + $ = 3$).

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  13.  
    identicon
    AnonCow, Aug 29th, 2009 @ 4:41pm

    Unless your browser can read your mind and open to the Amazon product page of the item you are thinking about purchasing when you launch the application, you have to make more than one click to purchase anything on the Internet...

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  14.  
    identicon
    AnonCow, Aug 29th, 2009 @ 4:45pm

    It's like a version of "Name That Tune" produced by the USPTO except that EVERYONE loses in the long run.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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