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Stamps.com gets the whole patent package

The Internet postage company acquires intellectual property from former rival E-Stamp, including 31 patents and the E-Stamp name.

Greg Sandoval Former Staff writer
Greg Sandoval covers media and digital entertainment for CNET News. Based in New York, Sandoval is a former reporter for The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. E-mail Greg, or follow him on Twitter at @sandoCNET.
Greg Sandoval
Stamps.com acquired intellectual property from former rival E-Stamp, including 31 patents and the E-Stamp name, the companies said.

Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Software maker E-Stamp said 10 days ago that it was leaving the postage business to merge with online learning company Learn2.com. Mountain View, Calif.-based E-Stamp officially dropped e-commerce last November and switched to developing software to help companies with shipping and logistics.

With Learn2.com, the company will provide Web-based educational software and online tutorials.

Most Internet postage companies have collapsed after failing to drum up sufficient customer interest.

Stamps.com said most of the patents it bought are related to Net-based postage printing and management, which it plans to use to attract small business and home office customers.