EBay Ordered to Pay in Patent Case

Auction site fined $35 million, published report says.

EBay has been ordered to pay $35 million in damages after the jury in a federal district court in Virginia found it had infringed two patents held by MercExchange, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal online edition Wednesday.

The patents cover only fixed-price sales, and could affect about one third of the items sold on eBay, the WSJ said.

Appeal Likely?

EBay of San Jose, California, plans to ask Judge Jerome Friedman to set aside the verdict and, if he refuses, may consider an appeal, the report said.

MercExchange, of Great Falls, Virginia, does not use the patented technology itself but licenses it to other traders, the report said.

EBay in the U.K. said it was not able to comment on the case Wednesday morning.

Would you recommend this story? YES NO

Recommend:
0 Comments

Subscribe to the Daily Technology News Newsletter - 7 days a week

See All Newsletters »

Lenovo Laptop Deals

IdeaPad U300s If there's a laptop that deserves the moniker "Ultrabook" it's the Lenovo IdeaPad U300s.
Buy now direct from Lenovo
ThinkPad X220 Fast and light, with great input ergonomics and battery life, this powerhouse ultraportable is best-of-breed.
Buy now direct from Lenovo
ThinkPad T420 Just about every IT person we know swears by the T series--for their clients and themselves.
Buy now direct from Lenovo

Name	City

Address 1	State	Zip

Address 2	E-mail (optional)