“Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos says his company is patenting what
critics charge are universal Web technologies as a matter of
self-defense.”
“That was one of the key points of a phone conversation Bezos
conducted with technology book publisher Tim O’Reilly earlier this
week. O’Reilly quoted Bezos in the written report of the
conversation that Reilly posted late Friday afternoon.”
“‘Amazon started patenting because they realized that they
would be under attack by players who might well one day be able to
put them out of business,” O’Reilly says Bezos told him.”
“Amazon received… the second of two controversial Web patents
it has been granted, last week. The so-called ‘Internet-based
customer referral system’ allows ‘associate’ Web sites to market
products for a second merchant Web site in return for a
commission.”
“Bezos promised O’Reilly that Amazon.com would only pursue major
competitors for infringement of the patent, O’Reilly said.”