Amazon's CEO is taking heat for some comments he made on the negative effects of patent lawsuits. Is Jeff Bezos being a hypocrite?
Bezos said he thinks legal battles over intellectual property could threaten innovation. In an interview with Metro, Bezo also said governments should consider modifying the patent system because these lawsuit battles are not "healthy for society."
Bezos' statements may be "the pot calling the kettle black," according to Yankee Group Research VP Carl Howe.
"Amazon’s business-model patent on ‘one-click shopping’ is considered by many to have been the catalyst for today’s corporate behavior of patenting first and asking whether the patents are valid later," Howe noted. "The idea that Amazon now considers this behavior as an impediment to innovation says to me that Amazon likes the patent system more when it protects Amazon’s business and less when it benefits competitors."
