EBay Squabble: The battle between EBay and...

EBay Squabble: The battle between EBay and Web sites that provide tools for auction comparison shopping intensified on Monday. Bidder’s Edge, a Burlington, Mass., company, filed antitrust-related counterclaims in an ongoing lawsuit with EBay in U.S. District Court in San Jose. The action follows last week’s news of a Department of Justice inquiry into the possibility of anti-competitive practices by EBay, which controls about 70% of all consumer Web auctions. EBay has been attempting to block the auction aggregators both legally and technologically. Bidder’s Edge accuses EBay of using its effective monopoly to interfere with Bidder’s Edge customers and business partners, and to prevent Bidder’s Edge from advertising in EBay magazine. James Carney, CEO of Bidder’s Edge, said the outcome of the suit could help define how broadly Web search and shopping tools can be used, as well as who owns user-supplied content on the Web. EBay declined to comment.