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By Megan Morrone

If you're a webmaster of an e-commerce site, then chances are you've already been following the story of PANIP.

PANIP, or Pangea Intellectual Properties, is a San Diego company run by Lawrence Lockwood. Lockwood owns patent number 6,289,319 and now he wants Web business owners to pay up.

The patent for an "automatic business and financial transaction processing system" covers all of e-commerce and even such far-flung technologies as the ATM machine.

First Lockwood demanded $30,000 from companies, specifically small companies. Now he's lowered his request to a one-time fee of $5,000, which is, in some ways, more insidious. For some small business owners it's easier to pay the $5,000 than to worry about the legal fees.

Last night on "The Screen Savers" we talked to Tim Beere, owner of DeBrand Fine Chocolates and webmaster of You May Be Next, a site to garner support for webmasters hit with the Lockwood lawsuit.  Go to his site to find out how you can show your support. 

                    (Note: PANIP's site panip.com is down, and
                    seems to have been incomplete or down for
                    awhile, according to information we found
                    here and here.) 

                    We're not done following this story and
                    we've already received several email
                    messages on the subject, so we know
                    you've got something to say. Post your
                    opinions in the Talkback section below.

Posted October 30, 2002