When The Apple Online Store opened its
virtual doors on Monday, shoppers were privy to the company’s new licensing
agreement with amazon.com.
Apple and Amazon.com
have forged
an e-commerce cross-licensing agreement in which Apple has implemented
Amazon.com’s 1-Click patent and trademark. All items in the Apple
store can be purchased using this technology.
The technology securely stores billing and shipping information so that
returning customers do not need to re-enter information.
In an open letter on his company’s Web site, Jeff Bezos, president of Amazon.com, notes that the
technology has been called to the table, with some critics calling for the
company to drop its patent on the 1-Click unilaterally. “I’ve read several
hundred email messages on the subject of our 1-Click technology,” he wrote.
“Ninety-nine percent of them were polite and helpful. To the other one
percent, thanks for the passion and color!
“Despite the call from many thoughtful folks for us to give up our
patents, I don’t believe it will be right for us to do so. This is my
belief even though the vast majority of our competitive advantage will
continue to come not from patents, but from raising the bar on things like
service, price and selection and we will continue to raise that bar. Unlike
with trademark law, where you must continuously enforce your trademark or
risk losing it, patent law allows you to enforce a ptent on a case-by-case
basis, only when there are important issues for doing so. I doubt if giving
up our patents would really, in the end, provide much a stepping stone to
solving a bigger problem.”
In related news, Apple announced it has launched its iMovie 2
video-editing software, which is available via i-Click downloading at its
online store. According to Apple, combining 1-Click downloading with 1-Click
shopping is an industry first.
“Licensing Amazon’s 1-Click patent and trademark will allow us to offer
our customers an even easier and faster online experience,” said Steve Jobs,
Apple CEO.
