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  1. #1
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    AT&T sues eBay over PayPal - claims patent infringement

    According to the lawsuit, which seeks injunctive relief, AT&T is demanding that EBay pay licensing fees because its lucrative PayPal division functions as a "trusted intermediary" between buyers and sellers who may not know each other.

    The system — widely regarded as crucial to EBay's gangbuster growth and a boon to e-commerce in general — allows buyers to provide credit card or bank account information to a reliable third party instead of individual sellers around the world. Buyers merely have to trust PayPal, and they don't have to worry about disreputable sellers using sensitive financial data for fraudulent purposes.

    AT&T says three senior engineers working for the phone company filed for a patent in 1991 for exactly such a process.

    AT&T engineers Alexander Fraser, Carlos Perea and Roy Weber began working on the project in the late 1980s, the lawsuit states. They received U.S. Patent No. 5,329,589 in July 1994, when they were working at AT&T Labs and other divisions of the company.
    LA TIMES (AP): http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...lines-business

  2. #2
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    I dont know how they could patent such a process. I hope AT&T wont sue me next for the ringing tone on my telephone lol

  3. #3
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    Who knows, VB might go after IPB, phpBB, and other mboard software since they look alike, although the backend works different...
    73's, Kim
    Everything happens for a reason I make up.

  4. #4
    Originally posted by KimmiKat
    Who knows, VB might go after IPB, phpBB, and other mboard software since they look alike, although the backend works different...
    But isnt patented is it? Nor trademarked?
    Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.

  5. #5
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    To me, Western Union also does this, though typically you pay cash, so it's not the exact same thing. I don't like lawsuits that go after the theory behind the way something is done (like one-click ordering, etc.). If they stole the entire backend system and implemented it, that's one thing, but it's like Ford suing GM because they produced a vehicle that transported humans using a motor on a chassis with four wheels, or a gardener suing all other gardeners because they were the first one who thought of cutting someone else's grass for money.

    Reminds me of the Austin Powers quote...
    Dr. Evil:

    My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a 15 year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims, like he invented the question mark. Sometimes, he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy - the sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical: summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring, we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent, I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds. Pretty standard, really.
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  6. #6
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    If Ford had patented the shape of the wheels they could have made more money instead of manufacturing cars

  7. #7
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    Originally posted by KimmiKat
    Who knows, VB might go after IPB, phpBB, and other mboard software since they look alike, although the backend works different...
    I assume that you have not looked at the coding of these forums, because they may look the same, but if you look at the code you can tell that they did not rework anything from Vbulletin. If they did go after IPB it would be bad publicity and possibly a PR nightmare. If AT&T does sue paypal does this mean they would be suing others like 2checkout?
    Kerry Jones

  8. #8
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    If it really was patented before anyone else with this idea, then PayPal could be in trouble, as well as any other such systems.

    As of now, none of us has enough information to make any kind of judgement or conclusion.
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  9. #9

    can they really win?

    I can't imagine that they could win this.
    And if what they say is true, where the hell where they all this time?

    Why didn't the USE what the patented? why didn't they make a system like PayPal?

    Why are the pressing charges NOW?
    paypal has been around for quite some time!

    Why paypal?
    why not 2checkout and others like that?


    THEY CANT WIN THIS.
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    One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness, the other to total extinction.
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  10. #10
    If you ask me this is "retarted" AT&T is just pissed because they have been losing money ever since cellphones became a major part of everyones lives.

    I can't wait until Ford sues EVERY other car company, because they were the first to invent a car! LMAO.

    Money hungry thats all it is..
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  11. #11
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    Originally posted by Trifolic
    ...because they were the first to invent a car!
    OT: They weren't but that's besides the point.
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  12. #12
    I'm sorry to say, but I got EVERYBODY in my back pocket.

    My GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-Grandfather was the first to come up with the idea of a company.

    He also invented patenting, and patented company's and patenting.

    So all the company's in the world are ripping me off!

    and every patent belongs to ME ME ME ME!


    So I'll just get my trillion dollars and leave. or do you bastard comapny's want to take this to court?








    IWDN - Really smart web developers... and me!
    More than any time in history mankind faces a crossroads.
    One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness, the other to total extinction.
    Let us pray that we have the wisdom to choose correctly.

  13. #13
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    Originally posted by Trifolic
    If you ask me this is "retarted" AT&T is just pissed because they have been losing money ever since cellphones became a major part of everyones lives.

    I can't wait until Ford sues EVERY other car company, because they were the first to invent a car! LMAO.

    Money hungry thats all it is..
    I agree. AT&T is also now saying that they hav ebeen providing 3G service before Verizon.

    According to the FCC, in order for a wireless provider to name their service 3G, the user must be able to receive speeds of at least 144kbps - 2mbps download (like Verzion's beta tesitng has proven). AT&T's "3G" gets 100-120kbps down. Hence it's not 3G.

    Btw, Ford didn't invent the car, they invented the production line to build cars.. the Model T was the first car to be built on the production line (I believe it was the Model T).

  14. #14
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    Originally posted by websterworld
    I'm sorry to say, but I got EVERYBODY in my back pocket.

    My GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-Grandfather was the first to come up with the idea of a company.

    He also invented patenting, and patented company's and patenting.

    So all the company's in the world are ripping me off!

    and every patent belongs to ME ME ME ME!

    So I'll just get my trillion dollars and leave. or do you bastard comapny's want to take this to court?



    and fyi my GREATx116-Grandfather was the GREATx18-Grandfather of your GREATx3-Grandfather so I own you and all your patents

  15. #15
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    I have looked at the code, that's why I mentioned the "Backend" works differently. If VB where to go after the looks of the mboards, who knows. But I don't picture them doing that.

    Originally posted by Kerry Jones
    I assume that you have not looked at the coding of these forums, because they may look the same, but if you look at the code you can tell that they did not rework anything from Vbulletin. If they did go after IPB it would be bad publicity and possibly a PR nightmare. If AT&T does sue paypal does this mean they would be suing others like 2checkout?
    73's, Kim
    Everything happens for a reason I make up.

  16. #16
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    Al Gore invented the Internet.

  17. #17
    Amazon patented the one-click shopping cart (and it isnt one click - it's three - and I counted them) so why not the "Send money to anyone with an e-mail address and we'll hold onto it if we want" process?

  18. #18
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    I think ATT is trying to recoup some cash lost from their wireless phone division after their accounting systems were offline for 3 straight weeks being "upgraded".

    Ok, so maybe that's not the case. I just think it's hilarious, and I'm fed up with companies that think they own everything. In my opinion they are trying to steal from eBay.
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  19. #19
    Originally posted by VH-Robert

    Btw, Ford didn't invent the car, they invented the production line to build cars.. the Model T was the first car to be built on the production line (I believe it was the Model T).
    Yea, left that part out, But thats my point exactly, They invented the PROCESS of a production line. Just like AT&T may have came up with a PROCESS..

    Thanks for the fix.
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  20. #20
    Originally posted by KimmiKat
    I have looked at the code, that's why I mentioned the "Backend" works differently. If VB where to go after the looks of the mboards, who knows. But I don't picture them doing that.
    Now a question on that note.. How DIFFERENT can you really make a forum look? I mean all the same components would HAVE to be there for it to be a forum.

    Eg.

    Burger King, McDonalds


    You can copy things DAMN close and be totally legal.
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  21. #21
    Originally posted by RajanUrs
    and fyi my GREATx116-Grandfather was the GREATx18-Grandfather of your GREATx3-Grandfather so I own you and all your patents
    But in that case we are family!
    You'd give some money to a poor family member now won't you?

    IWDN - Really smart web developers... and me!
    More than any time in history mankind faces a crossroads.
    One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness, the other to total extinction.
    Let us pray that we have the wisdom to choose correctly.

  22. #22
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    We can all make assumptions about what AT&T is doing, however, is it not possible the founders of PayPal discovered this patent and implemented it?
    A well-reasoned assumption is very close to fact.
    - Adorno

  23. #23
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    patents are dumb

  24. #24
    Originally posted by Eric Cartman
    patents are dumb


    As always your input is very good...
    IWDN - Really smart web developers... and me!
    More than any time in history mankind faces a crossroads.
    One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness, the other to total extinction.
    Let us pray that we have the wisdom to choose correctly.

  25. #25
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    ebay is scum, I hope AT&T wins

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