The dispute initially arose in October 1998, when Coolsavings
sued Planet U for offering on-line coupons to manufacturers and
retailers. Coolsavings argued this infringed its patent for
offering coupons to on-line and off-line retailers. Planet U
responded by filing a similar action against them for patent
infringement.
Both parties appear to be satisfied with the deal and Steven
Golding, chief executive of Coolsavings, has commented that “the
settlement shows the validity of our patent... it also shows that
Coolsavings is more than willing to license our process. We’re not
looking to stay in the courtrooms”.
This case is illustrative of the growing number of patent
infringement cases brought in relation to internet activities.
Indeed, Coolsavings is currently involved in a further five patent
disputes and Amazon.com was caught up in another patent commotion
when it patented its one-click shopping method.
The US Patent and Trade Mark Office claims to be increasing its
scrutiny of business-method patents such as that of Amazon.com.
