US Patent Office May Flip Flop on Amazon 1-Click
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Written By Reprise Media | May 19, 2006 | Share This
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Amazon.com’s grip on 1-click ordering may soon be a thing of the past. An actor from New Zealand has convinced the US Patent and Trademark office to reconsider the company’s patent on the one-step purchase process.
Amazon’s 1-click ordering (described in detail here) allows registered users to purchase an item with a single click and has been challenged over the years by heavyweights such as Barnes and Noble.
So who is this “actor” behind the lawsuit, anyway? It’s Peter Calveley, a blogger and thespian who’s had small parts in movies including Lord of the Rings.
Apparently he filed the request for re-examination of the patent on his own and raised the fee for doing so through donations on his blog.
But why does he care? This article in Ars Technica explains:
“Why would Calveley go to so much trouble? In his words, the campaign is nothing more than ‘utu’ for an annoyingly slow book delivery. If for some reason you are unclear on the concept of ‘utu’, it is a Maori term for an ‘obligation to undertake payment upon others for a wrongdoing.’ The entire episode, if nothing else, certainly goes to show the value of good customer service.”
Read more on the story here in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and then go to Slashdot and watch the discussion unfold.
Topics: Legal Issues |