Amazon 1-Click ordering patent: Oral Proceedings scheduled

One week ago, the European Patent Office summoned Amazon for Oral Proceedings in the appeal proceedings for its infamous 1-Click Ordering patent application. The Oral Proceedings are scheduled for 13 October 2010 2 December 2010 27 Januari 2011 and will be held at the Erhardtstraße-premises in Munich. The Oral Proceedings are public.

The 1-Click Ordering patent application was refused during examination by a decision of 15 February 2007 after Oral Proceedings were held on 15 November 2006. Amazon appealed the decision. The presently scheduled Oral Proceedings might be the conclusion of the appeal proceedings.

The preliminary opinion of the Board of Appeal is not favorable for Amazon. The Board indicates it tends to follow the arguments of the Examining Division upon which the patent was originally refused. Furthermore, the Board of Appeal refers to the proceedings of the corresponding Canadian and US cases.

The present patent application is a divisional application of the original 1-Click Ordering patent application, the later being withdrawn by Amazon on 8 June 2001. Amazon also filed a further divisional application.