The US Patent and Trademark Office just re-affirmed Amazon.com’s patent on 1-click checkout. In other words, the idea of automatically pulling up and simply using a customer’s previously saved customer payment and shipping data is considered so novel that nobody except Amazon (and its licensees) is allowed to use it for the duration of the patent.
As everyone is forced to step through multiple screens when checking out of every gosh darned site on earth for the next decade or so, spare a thought for our friends as the US Patent and Trademark Office.
I don’t blame Amazon.com for attempting to patent this; I blame USPTO for granting (and affirming) a patent that’s so patently obvious in nature.
Full Story: http://gizmodo.com/5490150/amazon-now-owns-the-concept-of-one+click-online-checkouts