Mr. Woolston served in the US Air Force, has an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from George Washington University and a law degree.
In 1995 Woolston filed his first patent application on on-line auction technology.
eBay approached MercExchange to purchase the Woolston patents.
Negotiations broke down when Woolston discovered that eBay was already infringing the patents.
As a result, it is now much more difficult for non-practicing entities to obtain permanent injunctions.