eBay: did it need to lose?

So eBay loses its patent suit. Did it need to? I mean, there's plenty of prior art. Hell, I built an online auction system in 1991 and 1992. MercExchange, the plaintiff in the eBay case, didn't even exist then. I even hired a programmer to help build the database back-end. The system, written in C and using my old company's CocoTalk API C library and COCONET server and client software, enabled sellers to post items online for sale, and buyers to bid on those items and then settle the transaction. Sounds like the "electronic marketplace" that MercExchange claims they invented.... a few years later. eBay has boasted that it is defending itself "vigorously" in this and other pending cases. I wonder why they deemed the auction system my company built for a client in 1992 immaterial to their defense. Oh well.

Blogiday, Schmogiday

Dave Weinberger suggests all bloggers take the first two weeks of August off in a mass "blogiday". He's even got the logo you're supposed to attach to your blog during that time, to let everyone know you're taking off time when Dave is taking off time.

I say, keep on bloggin'! If the blogerati want to take off two weeks in August, fine. It's a great opportunity for other blogs to get some attention.

A suggestion to vacationing bloggers: rather than just showing a blogiday logo, how about providing some prominent links to a lesser-known blogs, ones they like but for whatever reason ones they haven't put in their blogroll. A sort of "while I'm away, I recommend the following fine blogs" followed by a list. Share your discoveries!