Bidder's Edge settles dispute with eBay

An Internet start-up has settled a long-running legal feud with eBay Inc. that could discourage companies from making unauthorized attempts to copy data from eBay's popular auction site.

Under the terms of the settlement, closely held Bidder's Edge Inc., of Burlington, Mass., paid an undisclosed sum of money to eBay (ebay). The lawsuit, filed by eBay in late 1999 in federal court in San Jose, Calif., had sought to prevent Bidder's Edge from sending automated software agents, called robots, to eBay's auction Web site to search for listings. Full story. -- Nick Wingfield, Wall Street Journal