Apple, others sued over e-commerce patents

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Apple, others sued over e-commerce patents

Apple, along with a number of other large companies, has been sued in a Texas court by a company claiming that the Apple, iTunes, and App Stores violate its e-commerce patents. Actus, LCC filed a 28-page complaint against Apple, Amazon, eBay, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, and others, claiming that they infringe on its patents—Nos. 7,328,189, 7,249,099, 7,376,621 and 7,177,838—which cover an online payment method. The patents describe a system through which customers first set up an account with their payment details, and then add credits to a store account which can be used to purchase goods and services. It is unclear from the suit exactly which features of the Apple’s Stores are being protested; however, the feature most similar to those described in the patents is iTunes Allowances, which allows parents to set up monthly iTunes Store credits which are distributed to other, mostly younger, family members; gift certificates and similar codes may also be impacted. The complaint alleges that Apple is infringing on Actus’ patents by “marketing, distributing, using, selling, or offering to sell the following products and/or services: Apple Store, iTunes, and iPhone Apps Store.” [via AppleInsider]

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Comments

1

These patent trolls need to just DIAF. It’s getting ridiculous. Why now? Why not earlier?

Posted by Cameron on June 2, 2009 at 2:36 PM (PDT)

2

Some small company nobody’s heard of against the largest retailers in the world. Good luck with that. They will pay more in legal fees than the plaintiffs company is worth.

Posted by Greg on June 2, 2009 at 4:26 PM (PDT)

3

HOLLYYYYY SITZZZNECCCKKKK! ... What is going on here? lol,.... Is it still allowed to breath or turn on the water? ....

Posted by dennis on June 2, 2009 at 7:22 PM (PDT)

4

#3 - Unfortunately not. My friend is a patent lawyer, and apparently in 2001, Actus also filed, and was granted, a patent (no. 7.323.523). It describes a method by which air is drawn into a holding apparatus through suction, held until the oxygen is processed, and then expelled as carbon dioxide. They are claiming that patent has been breached by Apple employees (and anyone else with lungs) and a suit has been filed. None of the Actus employees or friends and family have been given the cease and desist order. After more research, my friend found that inhaling without exhaling does not breach the patent.

Posted by Warren Piece on June 3, 2009 at 7:35 AM (PDT)

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