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class="vector-body" aria-labelledby="firstHeading" data-mw-ve-target-container> <div class="vector-body-before-content"> <div class="mw-indicators"> </div> <div id="siteSub" class="noprint">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div> </div> <div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">2006 United States Supreme Court case</div><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1257001546">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme)>div:not(.notheme)[style]{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme) div:not(.notheme){background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media(min-width:640px){body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table{display:table!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>caption{display:table-caption!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>tbody{display:table-row-group}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table tr{display:table-row!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table th,body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table td{padding-left:inherit;padding-right:inherit}}</style><table class="infobox scotus" style="line-height: 1.4em"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above fn" style="background-color: #99c0ff; padding: 0.2em; line-height: 1.4em; font-size:125%; font-style: italic">eBay Inc. v.<br />MercExchange, L.L.C.</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><span title="Seal of the United States Supreme Court"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Seal_of_the_United_States_Supreme_Court.svg/100px-Seal_of_the_United_States_Supreme_Court.svg.png" decoding="async" width="100" height="100" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Seal_of_the_United_States_Supreme_Court.svg/150px-Seal_of_the_United_States_Supreme_Court.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Seal_of_the_United_States_Supreme_Court.svg/200px-Seal_of_the_United_States_Supreme_Court.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="720" data-file-height="720" /></span></span><div class="infobox-caption" style="padding-top: 0.5em; font-weight: bold"><a href="/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States" title="Supreme Court of the United States">Supreme Court of the United States</a></div></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header" style="background-color: #99c0ff; white-space:nowrap">Argued March 29, 2006<br />Decided May 15, 2006</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Full case name</th><td class="infobox-data"><i>eBay Inc. and <a href="/wiki/Half.com" title="Half.com">Half.com</a>, v. MercExchange, L.L.C.</i></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Docket no.</th><td class="infobox-data"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/docketfiles/05-130.htm">05-130</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Citations</th><td class="infobox-data">547 <a href="/wiki/United_States_Reports" title="United States Reports">U.S.</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://supreme.justia.com/us/547/388/case.html">388</a> (<i><a href="/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases,_volume_547" title="List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 547">more</a></i>)<div>126 S. Ct. 1837; 164 <a href="/wiki/L._Ed._2d" class="mw-redirect" title="L. Ed. 2d">L. Ed. 2d</a> 641; 2006 <a href="/wiki/U.S._LEXIS" class="mw-redirect" title="U.S. LEXIS">U.S. LEXIS</a> 3872; 74 U.S.L.W. 4248; 78 <a href="/wiki/U.S.P.Q.2d" class="mw-redirect" title="U.S.P.Q.2d">U.S.P.Q.2d</a> 1577</div></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header" style="background-color: #99c0ff; white-space:nowrap">Case history</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Prior</th><td class="infobox-data">Summary judgment granted and denied in part to plaintiff and defendants, 271 <a href="/wiki/F._Supp._2d" class="mw-redirect" title="F. Supp. 2d">F. Supp. 2d</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/271/789/2563845/">789</a> (<a href="/wiki/United_States_District_Court_for_the_Eastern_District_of_Virginia" title="United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia">E.D. Va.</a> 2002); motion to amend answer granted, motion to dismiss denied, 271 F. Supp. 2d <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/271/784/2563584/">784</a> (E.D. Va. 2002); permanent injunction denied, judgment as a matter of law granted and denied in part, final judgment entered in part, 275 F. Supp. 2d <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/275/695/2463432/">695</a> (E.D. Va. 2003); affirmed in part, reversed in part, vacated, 401 <a href="/wiki/F.3d" class="mw-redirect" title="F.3d">F.3d</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/401/1323/551581/">1323</a> (<a href="/wiki/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Federal_Circuit" title="United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit">Fed. Cir.</a> 2005); rehearing denied, 2005 U.S. App. LEXIS 10220 (Fed. Cir. Apr. 26, 2006); <a href="/wiki/Certiorari" title="Certiorari">cert.</a> granted, <a href="/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases,_volume_546" title="List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 546">546</a> <a href="/wiki/United_States_Reports" title="United States Reports">U.S.</a> 1029 (2005).</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header" style="background-color: #99c0ff; white-space:nowrap">Holding</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data">Court of Appeals erred in directing issuance of a permanent injunction against eBay, adjudged to have infringed a patent, without applying traditional four-factor injunction standard. Order of Federal Circuit Court of Appeals vacated and remanded.</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header" style="background-color: #99c0ff; white-space:nowrap">Court membership</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><dl style="margin:0; padding:0.1em 0.5em; text-align:center; line-height:1.3em;"> <dt style="margin:0;">Chief Justice</dt> <dd style="margin:0 0 0.3em;"><a href="/wiki/John_Roberts" title="John Roberts">John Roberts</a> </dd> <dt style="margin:0;">Associate Justices</dt> <dd style="margin:0;"><a href="/wiki/John_Paul_Stevens" title="John Paul Stevens">John P. Stevens</a> <b>·</b>  <a href="/wiki/Antonin_Scalia" title="Antonin Scalia">Antonin Scalia</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Anthony_Kennedy" title="Anthony Kennedy">Anthony Kennedy</a> <b>·</b>  <a href="/wiki/David_Souter" title="David Souter">David Souter</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Clarence_Thomas" title="Clarence Thomas">Clarence Thomas</a> <b>·</b>  <a href="/wiki/Ruth_Bader_Ginsburg" title="Ruth Bader Ginsburg">Ruth Bader Ginsburg</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Stephen_Breyer" title="Stephen Breyer">Stephen Breyer</a> <b>·</b>  <a href="/wiki/Samuel_Alito" title="Samuel Alito">Samuel Alito</a> </dd></dl></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header" style="background-color: #99c0ff; white-space:nowrap">Case opinions</th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Majority</th><td class="infobox-data">Thomas, joined by Roberts, Stevens, Scalia, Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg, Breyer</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Concurrence</th><td class="infobox-data">Roberts, joined by Scalia, Ginsburg</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Concurrence</th><td class="infobox-data">Kennedy, joined by Stevens, Souter, Breyer</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data">Alito took no part in the consideration or decision of the case.</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header" style="background-color: #99c0ff; white-space:nowrap">Laws applied</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><a href="/wiki/Title_35_of_the_United_States_Code" title="Title 35 of the United States Code">35 U.S.C.</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/35/283">§ 283</a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><i><b>eBay Inc. v. MercExchange, L.L.C.</b></i>, 547 U.S. 388 (2006), is a case in which the <a href="/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States" title="Supreme Court of the United States">Supreme Court of the United States</a> unanimously determined that an <a href="/wiki/Injunction" title="Injunction">injunction</a> should not be automatically issued based on a finding of <a href="/wiki/Patent_infringement" title="Patent infringement">patent infringement</a>, but also that an injunction should not be denied simply on the basis that the plaintiff does not practice the patented invention.<sup id="cite_ref-05130pdf_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-05130pdf-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Instead, a federal court must still weigh what the Court described as the <a href="/wiki/Injunction#Permanent_injunctions" title="Injunction">four-factor test</a> traditionally used to determine if an injunction should be issued.<sup id="cite_ref-05130pdf_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-05130pdf-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Background">Background</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=EBay_Inc._v._MercExchange,_L.L.C.&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Background"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Online auction site <a href="/wiki/EBay" title="EBay">eBay</a> uses practices in its online auction technology for which <a href="/wiki/MercExchange" title="MercExchange">MercExchange</a> owns patents, including <span><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US5845265">U.S. patent 5,845,265</a></span>, which covers eBay's "Buy it Now" function – over 30 percent of the company's business. In 2000, eBay initiated negotiations to outright purchase MercExchange's <a href="/wiki/Online_auction_business_model" class="mw-redirect" title="Online auction business model">online auction</a> patent portfolio. When eBay abandoned its effort, MercExchange sued eBay for <a href="/wiki/Patent_infringement" title="Patent infringement">patent infringement</a> and prevailed in a 2003 Virginia <a href="/wiki/Jury_trial" title="Jury trial">jury trial</a>, which found eBay had willfully infringed the MercExchange's patents and ordered a payment of nearly $30 million in damages.<sup id="cite_ref-mn_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-mn-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Following the verdict, MercExchange sought an <a href="/wiki/Injunction" title="Injunction">injunction</a> to prevent eBay's continued use of its intellectual property, but the District Court denied the request.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The <a href="/wiki/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Federal_Circuit" title="United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit">United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit</a> reversed the District Court in 2005, stating that there was a "general rule that courts will issue permanent injunctions against patent infringement absent exceptional circumstances."<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Following the reversal, eBay took its case to the Supreme Court, where it prevailed. In the majority opinion the Supreme Court concluded that a permanent injunction in patent infringement cases can be issued only if the plaintiff can show that the issue satisfies a four-factor test (see below). </p><p>As the legal battle dragged on, MercExchange cut its workforce from more than 40 employees to just three. MercExchange also was derided as a "patent troll" – inventors who use the threat of injunctions to extract hefty legal settlements for violating patents of dubious value.<sup id="cite_ref-mn_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-mn-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Opinion_of_the_Court">Opinion of the Court</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=EBay_Inc._v._MercExchange,_L.L.C.&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Opinion of the Court"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The Supreme Court overturned the Federal Circuit's approval of the injunction, holding that nothing in the <a href="/wiki/United_States_patent_law" title="United States patent law">Patent Act</a> eliminated the traditional reliance on weighing the equitable factors considered in determining whether an injunction should issue.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> But it also ruled that District Court erred in denying an injunction on the basis that MercExchange does not itself practice the patented invention. </p> <blockquote><p>That test requires a plaintiff to demonstrate: (1) that it has suffered an irreparable injury; (2) that remedies available at law are inadequate to compensate for that injury; (3) that considering the balance of hardships between the plaintiff and defendant, a remedy in equity is warranted; and (4) that the public interest would not be disserved by a permanent injunction. The decision to grant or deny such relief is an act of equitable discretion by the district court, reviewable on appeal for abuse of discretion. (...) Neither the District Court nor the Court of Appeals below fairly applied these principles. </p></blockquote> <blockquote><p>Although the District Court recited the traditional four-factor test, 275 F.Supp.2d, at 711, it appeared to adopt certain expansive principles suggesting that injunctive relief could not issue in a broad swath of cases. Most notably, it concluded that a “plaintiff's willingness to license its patents” and “its lack of commercial activity in practicing the patents” would be sufficient to establish that the patent holder would not suffer irreparable harm if an injunction did not issue. Id., at 712. But traditional equitable principles do not permit such broad classifications. For example, some patent holders, such as university researchers or self-made inventors, might reasonably prefer to <a href="/wiki/License" title="License">license</a> their patents, rather than undertake efforts to secure the financing necessary to bring their works to market themselves. Such patent holders may be able to satisfy the traditional four-factor test, and we see no basis for categorically denying them the opportunity to do so.</p></blockquote> <p>The court noted that it had consistently rejected invitations to replace traditional equitable considerations with a rule allowing automatic injunctions in its <a href="/wiki/Copyright" title="Copyright">copyright</a> law cases such as <i><a href="/wiki/New_York_Times_Co._v._Tasini" title="New York Times Co. v. Tasini">New York Times Co. v. Tasini</a></i>, 533 U.S. 483 (2001). </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Concurring_opinions">Concurring opinions</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=EBay_Inc._v._MercExchange,_L.L.C.&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Concurring opinions"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>While all eight justices (Justice <a href="/wiki/Samuel_Alito" title="Samuel Alito">Alito</a> did not participate) joined the <a href="/wiki/Majority_opinion" title="Majority opinion">majority opinion</a> penned by Justice <a href="/wiki/Clarence_Thomas" title="Clarence Thomas">Thomas</a> which stated that there should be no general rule as to when an injunction should issue in a patent case, there were two <a href="/wiki/Concurring_opinion" title="Concurring opinion">concurring opinions</a> with three and four justices respectively, setting out suggested guidelines for granting injunctions. </p><p>Chief Justice <a href="/wiki/John_Roberts" title="John Roberts">Roberts</a> wrote a concurring opinion, joined by Justices <a href="/wiki/Antonin_Scalia" title="Antonin Scalia">Scalia</a> and <a href="/wiki/Ruth_Bader_Ginsburg" title="Ruth Bader Ginsburg">Ginsburg</a>, pointing out that from "at least the early 19th century, courts have granted injunctive relief upon a finding of infringement in the vast majority of patent cases," by applying the four-factor test. </p><p>On the other hand, Justice <a href="/wiki/Anthony_Kennedy" title="Anthony Kennedy">Kennedy</a>, joined by Justices <a href="/wiki/John_Paul_Stevens" title="John Paul Stevens">Stevens</a>, <a href="/wiki/David_Souter" title="David Souter">Souter</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Stephen_Breyer" title="Stephen Breyer">Breyer</a>, wrote in a separate concurring opinion: </p> <blockquote><p>In cases now arising trial courts should bear in mind that in many instances the nature of the patent being enforced and the economic function of the patent holder present considerations quite unlike earlier cases. An industry has developed in which firms use patents not as a basis for producing and selling goods but, instead, primarily for obtaining licensing fees. ... For these firms, an injunction, and the potentially serious sanctions arising from its violation, can be employed as a bargaining tool to charge exorbitant fees to companies that seek to buy licenses to practice the patent. ... When the patented invention is but a small component of the product the companies seek to produce and the threat of an injunction is employed simply for undue leverage in negotiations, legal damages may well be sufficient to compensate for the infringement and an injunction may not serve the public interest. In addition injunctive relief may have different consequences for the burgeoning number of patents over business methods, which were not of much economic and legal significance in earlier times. The potential vagueness and suspect validity of some of these patents may affect the calculus under the four-factor test. <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/05pdf/05-130.pdf">[1]</a></p></blockquote> <p>Thus, the Roberts opinion leaned more heavily in favor of granting injunctions in <i>eBay</i> and similar cases, while the Kennedy opinion expressed skepticism, particularly where the validity of the patent has also been challenged and remains unsettled. Neither of these concurring opinions carries the force of law, since neither was supported by a majority of the Court. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Subsequent_developments">Subsequent developments</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=EBay_Inc._v._MercExchange,_L.L.C.&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Subsequent developments"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>On July 30, 2007, the District Court once again issued an order denying the injunction, ruling that, based on MercExchange's history of licensing or attempting to license the patent, monetary damages of $30 million was a sufficient remedy.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> On February 28, 2008, the parties announced that they had reached a settlement after six years of litigation. Under the settlement, MercExchange was to assign the patents to eBay; the terms of the settlement were otherwise confidential.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=EBay_Inc._v._MercExchange,_L.L.C.&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Patent_troll" title="Patent troll">Patent troll</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=EBay_Inc._v._MercExchange,_L.L.C.&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-05130pdf-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-05130pdf_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-05130pdf_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>eBay Inc. v. MercExchange, L.L.C.</i>, <a href="/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases,_volume_547" title="List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 547">547</a> <a href="/wiki/United_States_Reports" title="United States Reports">U.S.</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/547/388/">388</a> (2006). <span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="Public domain" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/62/PD-icon.svg/15px-PD-icon.svg.png" decoding="async" width="15" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/62/PD-icon.svg/23px-PD-icon.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/62/PD-icon.svg/30px-PD-icon.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="196" data-file-height="196" /></span></span> <i>This article incorporates <a href="/wiki/Copyright_status_of_works_by_the_federal_government_of_the_United_States" title="Copyright status of works by the federal government of the United States">public domain material from this U.S government document</a>.</i></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-mn-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-mn_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-mn_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFSchwanhausser2008" class="citation news cs1">Schwanhausser, Mark (February 29, 2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.mercurynews.com/2008/02/28/ebay-patent-case-settled-2/">"EBay patent case settled"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_Mercury_News" title="The Mercury News">The Mercury News</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">October 14,</span> 2017</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Mercury+News&rft.atitle=EBay+patent+case+settled&rft.date=2008-02-29&rft.aulast=Schwanhausser&rft.aufirst=Mark&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mercurynews.com%2F2008%2F02%2F28%2Febay-patent-case-settled-2%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEBay+Inc.+v.+MercExchange%2C+L.L.C." class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite><i>MercExchange, L.L.C. v. eBay, Inc.</i></cite>, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/275/695/2463432/">275 F. Supp. 2d 695</a> (<a href="/wiki/E.D._Va." class="mw-redirect" title="E.D. Va.">E.D. Va.</a> 2003).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite><i>MercExchange, L.L.C. v. eBay, Inc.</i></cite>, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/401/1323/551581/">401 F.3d 1323</a>, 1339 (<a href="/wiki/Fed._Cir." class="mw-redirect" title="Fed. Cir.">Fed. Cir.</a> 2005).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://harvardlawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/ebay_v_mercexchange.pdf"><i>The Supreme Court, 2005 Term — Leading Cases,</i></a> 120 Harv. L. Rev. 332 (2006).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/ebay-wins-round-in-buy-it-now-patent-redux/">"eBay Wins Round"</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Mylene Mangalindan, WSJ Dec 13 2007 B4, "EBay is Ordered to Pay $30 Million in Patent Rift"</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://news.ebay.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=296670">eBay Inc. and MercExchange, L.L.C. Reach Settlement Agreement</a><sup class="noprint Inline-Template"><span style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot" title="Wikipedia:Link rot"><span title=" Dead link tagged July 2019">permanent dead link</span></a></i><span style="visibility:hidden; color:transparent; padding-left:2px">‍</span>]</span></sup>, eBay press release, February 28, 2008</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSchwanhausser2008" class="citation news cs1">Schwanhausser, Mark (February 29, 2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_8403733">"EBay Patent Case Settled; It Owns 'Buy It Now' After 6-Year Battle"</a>. <i>San Jose Mercury News</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">February 29,</span> 2008</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=San+Jose+Mercury+News&rft.atitle=EBay+Patent+Case+Settled%3B+It+Owns+%27Buy+It+Now%27+After+6-Year+Battle&rft.date=2008-02-29&rft.aulast=Schwanhausser&rft.aufirst=Mark&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mercurynews.com%2Fbusiness%2Fci_8403733&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEBay+Inc.+v.+MercExchange%2C+L.L.C." class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Further_reading">Further reading</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=EBay_Inc._v._MercExchange,_L.L.C.&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Further reading"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFChao2008" class="citation journal cs1">Chao, Bernard H. (2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ahc.umn.edu/mjlst/prod/groups/ahc/@pub/@ahc/@mjlst/documents/article/ahc_article_366119.pdf">"After Ebay, Inc. v. MercExchange: The Changing Landscape for Patent Remedies"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. <i>Minn. JL Sci. & Tech</i>. <b>9</b> (2): 543–572.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Minn.+JL+Sci.+%26+Tech.&rft.atitle=After+Ebay%2C+Inc.+v.+MercExchange%3A+The+Changing+Landscape+for+Patent+Remedies&rft.volume=9&rft.issue=2&rft.pages=543-572&rft.date=2008&rft.aulast=Chao&rft.aufirst=Bernard+H.&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ahc.umn.edu%2Fmjlst%2Fprod%2Fgroups%2Fahc%2F%40pub%2F%40ahc%2F%40mjlst%2Fdocuments%2Farticle%2Fahc_article_366119.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEBay+Inc.+v.+MercExchange%2C+L.L.C." class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFHelm2006" class="citation journal cs1">Helm, Jeremiah S. (2006). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101206041543/http://www.mttlr.org/volthirteen/helm.pdf">"Why Pharmaceutical Firms Support Patent Trolls: The Disparate Impact of <i>eBay v. MercExchange</i> on Innovation"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. <i>Mich. Telecomm. Tech. L. Rev</i>. <b>13</b> (1): 331–343. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.mttlr.org/volthirteen/helm.pdf">the original</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span> on December 6, 2010<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">May 10,</span> 2012</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Mich.+Telecomm.+Tech.+L.+Rev.&rft.atitle=Why+Pharmaceutical+Firms+Support+Patent+Trolls%3A+The+Disparate+Impact+of+eBay+v.+MercExchange+on+Innovation&rft.volume=13&rft.issue=1&rft.pages=331-343&rft.date=2006&rft.aulast=Helm&rft.aufirst=Jeremiah+S.&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mttlr.org%2Fvolthirteen%2Fhelm.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEBay+Inc.+v.+MercExchange%2C+L.L.C." class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFJones2007" class="citation journal cs1">Jones, Miranda (2007). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.georgemasonlawreview.org/doc/14-4_Jones.pdf">"Permanent Injunction, A Remedy by Any Other Name is Patently Not the Same: How <i>eBay v. MercExchange</i> Affects the Patent Right of Non-Practicing Entities"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. <i>George Mason Law Review</i>. <b>14</b> (4): 1035–1070.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=George+Mason+Law+Review&rft.atitle=Permanent+Injunction%2C+A+Remedy+by+Any+Other+Name+is+Patently+Not+the+Same%3A+How+eBay+v.+MercExchange+Affects+the+Patent+Right+of+Non-Practicing+Entities&rft.volume=14&rft.issue=4&rft.pages=1035-1070&rft.date=2007&rft.aulast=Jones&rft.aufirst=Miranda&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.georgemasonlawreview.org%2Fdoc%2F14-4_Jones.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEBay+Inc.+v.+MercExchange%2C+L.L.C." class="Z3988"></span><sup class="noprint Inline-Template"><span style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot" title="Wikipedia:Link rot"><span title=" Dead link tagged July 2019">permanent dead link</span></a></i><span style="visibility:hidden; color:transparent; padding-left:2px">‍</span>]</span></sup></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFVenkatesan2009" class="citation journal cs1">Venkatesan, Jaideep (2009). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.vjolt.net/vol14/issue1/v14i1_a26%20-%20Venkatesan.pdf">"Compulsory Licensing of Nonpracticing Patentees After <i>eBay v. MercExchange</i>"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. <i>Virginia Journal of Law & Technology</i>. <b>14</b> (1): 26–47.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Virginia+Journal+of+Law+%26+Technology&rft.atitle=Compulsory+Licensing+of+Nonpracticing+Patentees+After+eBay+v.+MercExchange&rft.volume=14&rft.issue=1&rft.pages=26-47&rft.date=2009&rft.aulast=Venkatesan&rft.aufirst=Jaideep&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vjolt.net%2Fvol14%2Fissue1%2Fv14i1_a26%2520-%2520Venkatesan.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AEBay+Inc.+v.+MercExchange%2C+L.L.C." class="Z3988"></span></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=EBay_Inc._v._MercExchange,_L.L.C.&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li>Text of <i>eBay Inc. v. MercExchange, L.L.C.</i>, <a href="/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases,_volume_547" title="List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 547">547</a> <a href="/wiki/United_States_Reports" title="United States Reports">U.S.</a> 388 (2006) is available from: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/145655/ebay-inc-v-mercexchange-ll/">CourtListener</a>  <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/547/388.html">Findlaw</a>  <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=4819344338954570996">Google Scholar</a>  <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/547/388/">Justia</a>  <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2005/05-130">Oyez (oral argument audio)</a>  <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/0/https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/05pdf/05-130.pdf">Supreme Court (slip opinion) (archived)</a> </li> <li>Steven J. Frank, <i><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060904072655/http://corporatedealmaker.thedealblogs.com/2006/05/patent_injunctions_is_there_li.php">Patent Injunctions: Is There Life After eBay v. MercExchange?</a></i>, Corporate Dealmaker Forum blog, May 24, 2006</li> <li>J. Matthew Buchanan, <i><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090108105534/http://promotetheprogress.com/blog/friday-food-for-thought-is-ebay-a-gauntlet/548/">Is eBay a Gauntlet?</a></i>, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081113155254/http://promotetheprogress.com/blog/">Promote the Progress</a> patent law and policy blog, June 9, 2006. Excerpt: <i> Did the Supreme Court throw down the gauntlet, i.e., issue a challenge, to Congress in its eBay v. MercExchange decision? Did the Court, in essence, challenge Congress to clarify its exercise of the Patent Power?</i></li> <li>J. Matthew Buchanan, <i><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081210071558/http://promotetheprogress.com/blog/ebay-v-mercexchange-from-an-infringers-perspective/558/">eBay v. MercExchange - from an infringer's perspective</a></i>, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081113155254/http://promotetheprogress.com/blog/">Promote the Progress</a> patent law and policy blog, June 20, 2006 (a tongue-in-cheek look at the case from the viewpoint of a manufacturer who might be infringing a patent or two).</li> <li>Wiki Legal Comment, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20070223072510/http://wikilegaljournal.wik.is/EBay_v._MercExchange_Note">E-commerce After eBay v. MercExchange, When Should the Courts Enjoin Infringement of Internet Business Method Patents?</a>, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://wikilegaljournal.wik.is">Wiki Legal Journal</a> This article is part of a study to determine if a wiki community can produce high quality legal research, Nov. 18, 2006 (this article suggests a solution for the confusion caused by the Supreme Court's splintered opinion).</li></ul>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=EBay_Inc._v._MercExchange,_L.L.C.&oldid=1241348866">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=EBay_Inc._v._MercExchange,_L.L.C.&oldid=1241348866</a>"</div></div> <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="/wiki/Help:Category" title="Help:Category">Categories</a>: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:United_States_Supreme_Court_cases" title="Category:United States Supreme Court cases">United States Supreme Court cases</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:United_States_Supreme_Court_cases_of_the_Roberts_Court" title="Category:United States Supreme Court cases of the Roberts Court">United States Supreme Court cases of the Roberts Court</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:United_States_patent_case_law" title="Category:United States patent case law">United States patent case law</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:2006_in_United_States_case_law" title="Category:2006 in United States case law">2006 in United States case law</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:EBay_litigation" title="Category:EBay litigation">EBay litigation</a></li></ul></div><div id="mw-hidden-catlinks" class="mw-hidden-catlinks mw-hidden-cats-hidden">Hidden categories: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_articles_incorporating_text_from_public_domain_works_of_the_United_States_Government" title="Category:Wikipedia articles incorporating text from public domain works of the United States Government">Wikipedia articles incorporating text from public domain works of the United States Government</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:All_articles_with_dead_external_links" title="Category:All articles with dead external links">All articles with dead external links</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_with_dead_external_links_from_July_2019" title="Category:Articles with dead external links from July 2019">Articles with dead external links from July 2019</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_with_permanently_dead_external_links" title="Category:Articles with permanently dead external links">Articles with permanently dead external links</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Use_mdy_dates_from_September_2023" title="Category:Use mdy dates from September 2023">Use mdy dates from September 2023</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Articles_with_short_description" title="Category:Articles with short description">Articles with short description</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Short_description_matches_Wikidata" title="Category:Short description matches Wikidata">Short description matches Wikidata</a></li></ul></div></div> </div> </main> </div> <div class="mw-footer-container"> <footer id="footer" class="mw-footer" > <ul id="footer-info"> <li id="footer-info-lastmod"> This page was last edited on 20 August 2024, at 17:45<span class="anonymous-show"> (UTC)</span>.</li> <li id="footer-info-copyright">Text is available under the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_4.0_International_License" title="Wikipedia:Text of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License</a>; additional terms may apply. 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