Saudi claims he invented e-commerce, intends to sue firms which use it

A Saudi man who claims he invented the concept of e-commerce during the early days of the internet says that he is talks with big firms who wish to avoid litigation for stealing his world-changing idea.

“There are now undergoing negotiations with big companies inside [the kingdom] and abroad to find a solution without opting to head to international judiciary,” Faisal bin Fahd al-Osaimi told the local Saudi daily Okaz.

Osaimi said he presented the concept of e-commerce to the late King Fahd in 1991, the same year the internet was born.

The late king reportedly referred him to the trade ministry and the King Abdul Aziz City of Technology, a scientific organization. But Osaimi says he did not get any feedback from them.

When asked why he kept quiet all this years over what he alleges to be his world-changing idea, he said: “I previously made several press interviews but I think that it is the time now for me to appear stronger than before.”

If his claims are accepted, Osaimi could be eligible for massive royalties.

The brainchild of British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee – the internet became available to the public in August 1991.

A quarter of a century later, e-commerce websites, including Amazon, Alibaba, and Ebay, lead a multi-trillion dollar industry.