COURT ISSUES STAY IN EBAY PATENT LITIGATION: Two years ago, a jury declared eBay had willfully infringed MercExchange's consignment fixed-price and software search agent patents, and eBay appealed. In March of this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled on the appeal and readied to send the case back to the lower court, paving the way for the lower court to possibly grant an injunction against eBay. But the Appeals Court granted a stay on May 11 until the Supreme Court rules on eBay's request to hear the case.

eBay said in a press release it intends to ask the Supreme Court to review aspects of the decision regarding MercExchange's consignment patent. It did not get specific about the basis for a Supreme Court hearing.