From: Adam <""4thwormcastfromthemolehill\"{at}the field.near
the bridge">

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/23/ibm_versus_amazon/

& so the IP madness continues.

"The lawsuits reportedly accuse Amazon of "willfully"
violating IBM patents for "such services as allowing users to order
items from an electronic catalog and displaying internet advertising".

IBM listed the patents it reckons Amazon defiled as:

    * US 5,796,967 - Presenting Applications in an Interactive Service.
    * US 5,442,771 - Storing Data in an Interactive Network.
    * US 7,072,849 - Presenting Advertising in an Interactive Service.
    * US 5,446,891 - Adjusting Hypertext Links with Weighted User Goals
and Activities.
    * US 5,319,542 - Ordering Items Using an Electronic Catalogue.

According to Yahoo!, Dr John E. Kelly III, senior vice president of IBM
Technology and Intellectual Property, declared: "We filed this case
for a very simple reason. IBM's property is being knowingly and unfairly
exploited.

"IBM is one of the world's leading creators of intellectual property
and one of the most progressive in embracing new, highly collaborative ways
of driving and managing innovation. Everything we do is premised on the
fundamental principle that IBM's intellectual property is one of our core
assets, and represents the work product of tens of thousands of scientists
and engineers and billions of dollars of investment.""


Adam

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