Denise, check the following link for Onsale's statement about its patents.
go2net.newsalert.com
MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 12, 1999--Onsale(R), Inc. (Nasdaq: ONSL), a
leading Internet real-time retailer, today announced that it has launched an intellectual property licensing
program based on a patent issued to Onsale's co-founders, Jerry Kaplan and Alan Fisher. The patent
is entitled Method And System For Processing And Transmitting Electronic Auction Information.
The patent discloses a fundamental system for conducting multi-person, interactive auctions over the
Internet.
"The purpose of the intellectual property licensing program is to ensure that Onsale receives value for
its creativity and innovation," said Jerry Kaplan, Onsale's president and CEO. "We have begun the
process of notifying known potential infringers of our rights."
Onsale pioneered the online auction format on the World Wide Web in 1995, and is a leading Internet
retailer of computers, consumer electronics and sporting goods for businesses and consumers.
Patent number 5,835,896 is the first patent issued to Onsale. The company currently has several
additional patent applications pending on various aspects of online auctions and e-mail notification
technologies.
I have no opinion as to whether or not BIDS online auction process infringes on Onsales patent.
Al |
