Groupon to pay IBM $57m after getting money off e-commerce patent settlement Groupon has managed to secure a money-off deal in its court battle with IBM over e-commerce patents. The pair have agreed to settle the dispute, with the e-voucher biz set to pay $57m to IBM, knocking almost a third off the price tag granted by a court this summer. In July, a jury ruled that Groupon had wilfully infringed …
Don't know the specific patents in this case but with them being "eCommerce" patents I'm willing to bet they all boil down to:
"An economic thing people have done for centuries but, like, now there's a computer and/or the Internet in there? So it's different somehow. Whatever, who cares - just give us the patent already."
IBM invented some amazing sh*t over the years. ATMs, the hard disk, (D)RAM, barcodes, magstripes, the electron microscope, the concept of virtual machines, laser eye surgery, e-commerce, the first general-purpose mainframe (and the first Mainframe, for that matter), magnetic tape, human-readable machine code (FORTRAN), Fractals, putting people on the Moon and the first smartphone; to name just a few.
IBM typically earns its patents, and does great things with them. Their technical and engineering expertise deserves huge respect, whatever your feelings about the current management.
Even doing business is generally fine as long as you do it as a European entity. Trying to enforce too general US patents in EU is a failed cause so companies don't usually even try unless you are clearly copying to the point of trademark violation.
Big Blue will 'consider' giving staff access to e-voucher biz offers through corporate plan
Well, well. Maybe a real 'jump in the air and click heels together moment' for staff handed a 'wee bonus' with their pink slips.
How generous of 'artist formerly known as Big Blue'.
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