eBay can continue to use “Buy It Now” feature

U.S. District Court Judge Jerome B. Friedman has now denied the motion filed by a small Virginia company MercExchange LLC which has been demanding that eBay should be stopped from using their “Buy It Now” feature.

The “Buy It Now” feature on eBay allows the visitors on the online auction site to purchase a product without actually bidding for it.

They had filed this motion after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that eBay infringed upon MercExchange’s patent for the service.

The court had at that time ruled that a lower court would decide whether eBay would be banned from using that feature.

Judge Friedman said in his ruling that MercExchange was not irreparably harmed because it continued to make money from its patents.

MercExchange attorney Greg Stillman had this to say about the court ruling: “It was sort of good news, bad news for both sides. I’m sure eBay is relieved that they’re not going to be enjoined, but on the other hand (Friedman) made it quite clear that they’re going to have to pay for that right.”