February 28, 2008 - Procter & Gamble Co. won a patent infringement lawsuit against Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. over a generic version of P&G's osteoporosis drug Actonel that the Israel-based Teva wanted to market in the US.
P&G filed the lawsuit against Teva to enforce P&G's patent for risedronate, the active ingredient in Actonel. Teva had claimed P&G's Actonel patent was not valid due to the obviousness of the invention.
February 28, 2008 - EBay Inc. has agreed to settle its historic lawsuit with MercExchange over EBay's "Buy it Now" feature. Financial terms were not disclosed, but EBay will buy three patents from MercExchange related to fixed-price sales and related technology.
The lawsuit had a significant impact on patent law because the US Supreme Court, on EBay's appeal, ruled that EBay did not have to stop using the patented technology, thereby ending the precedent of patent owners automatically having the right to block the use of infringing products.