Sign in Subscribe
Internet services

iBuyLine Announces Patent Licensing Agreements with Marimba and Gateway

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

iBuyLine, a leading internet retailer of technology products, has announced separate patent licensing agreements with Marimba and Gateway. The agreements give Marimba a non-exclusive license to use patent #5,642,417, which was issued June 24, 1997, while Gateway has licensed patent #5,341,429, which was issued August 23, 1994. iBuyLine's "TestDriver" virtual install technology allows users to easily test software titles for a limited period of time or number of uses, without having to involve themselves in complicated install or uninstall procedures. The technology uses a "virtual shell" that resides temporarily on the user's computer, and is automatically deleted when the allotted time or number of uses is exhausted.

Key Takeaways:

  • iBuyLine has announced patent licensing agreements with Marimba and Gateway, with Marimba licensing patent #5,642,417 and Gateway licensing patent #5,341,429.
  • The "TestDriver" virtual install technology allows users to test software titles for a limited period of time or number of uses without having to install or uninstall the software.
  • The technology uses a "virtual shell" that is automatically deleted when the allotted time or number of uses is exhausted, leaving no trace of the application on the user's system.
  • iBuyLine's CEO Ed Lauing stated that the agreements "validate our expertise and leadership in the electronic distribution of software via the Internet."
  • Marimba's Castanet product family provides an efficient and reliable infrastructure for distributing, updating, and managing applications and content over corporate intranets, extranets, and the Internet.
  • Gateway had total global revenue of $8.65 billion in 1999 and shipped 4.68 million systems in the same year.

Statistics:

  • Patent #5,642,417 was issued June 24, 1997.
  • Patent #5,341,429 was issued August 23, 1994.
  • Gateway had total global revenue of $8.65 billion in 1999.
  • Gateway shipped 4.68 million systems in 1999.

Sources:

  • Business Wire, April 17, 2000
  • iBuyLine press release, April 17, 2000
  • Gateway press release, 1999
  • Harris Interactive and the Reputation Institute, The Wall Street Journal, August 1999

Read more