Forbes contributor Tim Worstall recently reported Amazon is still without a patent in Europe for its OneClick technology after an earlier ruling was upheld on appeal.

Amazon received a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 1999. According to Forbes, the differing opinions from the American and European bodies could be problematic moving forward. Essentially, any American company using the technology must pay royalties to Amazon, as Apple currently does. Meanwhile, European ecommerce vendors can do so with fewer stipulations.

Among the goals of ongoing patent reform is to make the process more uniform globally. The latest ruling makes this process even more challenging. Additionally, U.S. users must still go through the process of filling out form after form to make a purchase. While some believe this to be a positive for security purposes, ecommerce vendors unable to license the technology from Amazon view it as an obstacle to sales.

In 1999, Barnes & Noble and Amazon began a legal battle over the former's unlicensed use of the OneClick Technology. The companies reached an undisclosed agreement in 2002.