eBay has ended its long-running patent dispute with technology company, MercExchange, by buying three patents it has been accused of violating. MercExchange sued eBay in 2001, claiming the online auctioneer's "Buy It Now" option infringed on its patents.

The case finally got to court in 2003 and a jury ruled in MercExchange's favor. eBay appealed, but a Judge in December upheld the $30 million judgment.

eBay now says it will buy the three MercExchange patents it has been accused of violating. It will not say how much it has had to pay to make MercExchange go away.