News AT&T Sues EBay in Patent Dispute

From Wired:

PHILADELPHIA -- Long-distance telephone company AT&T said Thursday it filed a lawsuit against online auction house eBay and its PayPal unit, claiming the companies' online payment systems violate its patent on secure Internet transactions.

AT&T said its patent covers transactions in which an intermediary securely processes payments over a communications system such as the Internet.

The use of an intermediary ensures that one party will not have to disclose sensitive information, such as a credit card number or bank account number, directly to the other party in a deal.

EBay, which acquired PayPal in 2002, did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

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Yet another internet patent lawsuit. Will it be as 'succesful' as the Eolas affair?