Venture Beat reports Google has won the patent for using location in an advertising system, or something called geo-targeting. Let me quote the article:
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded the search giant a patent for using location in an advertising system last Tuesday, which is the emerging business model for most consumer-facing location startups today.Filed six years ago, the patent is fairly broad. It covers using location for targeting, setting a minimum price bid for an ad, offering performance analytics, and modifying the content of an ad.
However, the location-based ad patent may give Google a nice big stick as it goes head-to-head with Apple in the world of mobile advertising. Both companies have acquired or agreed to acquire a mobile ad network in the last three months; Google agreed to buy Admob for $750 million in November, while Apple bought Quattro Wireless in January. Google actually bucked a patent Apple owns last month, when it added multi-touch functionality to its Android operating system. Perhaps this is the card the search giant had up its sleeve.
Greg Sterling asked, Has Google Just Patented Geo-Targeting? Seems like they have, on some level. Which is why the WebmasterWorld thread discussing this, seems to be somewhat cynical about patents in general.
Webwork said:
To me, the hypothericals aren't far removed from the granting of rights of exclusivity to a company that "creates" a system for changing behavior (show ads) based upon IP->geolocation tracking.Where's the invention . . in this invention? If you have an idea that my IP address is near Philly is delivering connected with Philly businesses "inventive"? Inventive so much so that "the discovery/invention" is worthy of the rights of exclusivity?
Software patents really need to be scrapped. Almost every patent relates to a simple mechanism or concept that a person with half a brain (such as myself) can come up with almost automatically when presented with a similar problem.
The patent litigation world is a business in itself, I agree, something needs to be done. Although, I am not sure exactly what.
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
