Court rules in eBay's favor in patent suit

SAN JOSE, Calif. A U.S. District Court ruled in favor of eBay and PayPal in a patent lawsuit with Netcraft, an Internet services company based in Bath, England.

According to eBay, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin ruled that PayPal's payment services did not infringe on Netcraft's patents titled "Internet Billing Method." The Court ruled that all of the patents in question require "providing customers with Internet access" and because eBay and PayPal do not provide customers with Internet access, the two companies do not infringe Netcraft’s patents.

"We are pleased by the Court’s well-reasoned ruling in this case. We will continue to protect the interests of our global community of users and the businesses who rely on eBay’s platforms to make a living," eBay said in a press release issued today.