Amazon Is Accused of Infringing Patent

Cendant Corp. sued online retailer Amazon.com for allegedly infringing a patent for a website feature that makes recommendations to consumers based on past purchases.

The patent, awarded to Cendant Publishing Inc. in August, covers a method of informing a customer about the choices of goods and services made by other customers listed in a database.

The feature, accessible on Amazon’s website, tells consumers purchasing a specific item about other products bought by customers who purchased the same item. Amazon’s continued use of the system will “cause Cendant Publishing harm” unless stopped by court action, according to the suit.

Amazon.com uses the system by displaying the message, “Customers who bought this book also bought,” followed by a list of books, Cendant says in its suit.

Las Vegas-based Cendant Publishing seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages in the lawsuit, which was filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Del.

Patty Smith, an Amazon.com spokeswoman, said the company didn’t comment on pending lawsuits.

Shares of Seattle-based Amazon.com rose $1.14 to $36.24 on Nasdaq. New York-based Cendant, the largest U.S. real estate and travel services company, rose 35 cents to $20.93 on the New York Stock Exchange.