Bidder's Edge defies eBay legal threat

Margaret Kane ZDNet US

Published: 03 Nov 1999 11:27 GMT

Last month, eBay cracked down on auction portals that allow users to search multiple portals for items. eBay claimed that the listings on its site were intellectual property and sent cease and desist letters to third-party search engines that were scanning its site.

In many cases, the sites were presenting results that linked directly to the item for sale, bypassing eBay's home page.

Many of the sites, including Bidder's Edge, backed down. That company actually took out an ad in major newspapers asking bidders to please list their items directly on the Bidder's Edge site.

But the company has now reversed that decision, said co-founder and vice president of technology Peter Leeds. eBay officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Leeds said that the company changed it's mind after noticing that other sites had not removed their links to eBay, and after checking out the legal situation.

"Since that time we've done more homework and spoken with lawyers. We believe legally we have firm ground to stand on. I also believe that eBay, given their lack of action, is reconsidering," Leeds said.