Amazon wins appeal in one-click buying lawsuit
updated 05:00 pm EDT, Fri September 23, 2011
Overturns ruling by judge in earlier jury trial
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington today sided with e-tailer Amazon in an ongoing dispute with software developer Cordance over the use of one-click purchasing. The court overruled a decision by a trial judge who in turn had reversed a decision by a federal jury in a case over which the judge was presiding. The jury had found that, while Amazon might have infringed upon some components of Cordance's patent, the company's claims were invalid.
The dispute began in 2006, when Cordance sued Amazon for infringing on three patents that it held. Cordance alleged that Amazon was using its technology to allow Amazon customers to store payment information and shipping addresses in their Amazon customer accounts. Cordance sought $84 million in damages.
Amazon is not the only online retailer that Cordance has sued. In March, the company filed complaints against Apple, PayPal and Victoria's Secret for allegedly copying its technology with one-click shopping. With a patent invalidation and non-infringements now set as precedents, Apple and others could better fight Cordance themselves. [via Bloomberg]
