eBay Gets Its Day in Court

eBay (EBAY Quote) will square off against a coalition of huge pharmaceutical and industrial companies this week when its long-running patent dispute is heard at the Supreme Court.

The question to be decided is whether a court should immediately be required to issue an injunction once it finds infringement of a patent. Last year, a federal court denied MercExchange's request for a court order to prevent eBay from using its patent in the auction giant's Buy It Now service.

The injunction orders are routinely granted, though eBay and MercExchange disagree as to whether this should be done as a matter of course. The Supreme Court probably will split the difference, according to a patent expert. ...