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Microsoft Pockets Patent for Encouraging TV Viewing

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the you-know-you-want-to dept.

theodp writes "Through its WebTV unit, Microsoft was awarded a patent Tuesday for a system and method for encouraging viewers to watch television programs, such as offering viewers frequent-flier miles for identifying the name of a sponsor or the color of an announcer's shirt. In other news, Microsoft took a District Court to task for failing to recognize the existence of prior art for the Eolas web plug-in patent, resulting in a $521 million judgment against the software giant."

3 of 266 comments (clear)

  1. I suppose to tred on the new MS patent... by rusty0101 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    ... I could offer to mod up responsed to people who come up with the most creative responses to AC's who begin their post's with "You're an idiot..." (or variations on the theme.)

    So I shant...

    -Rusty

    --
    You never know...
  2. The /. MS Icon... by Donoho · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    seems uncannily appropriate.

    --
    Michalangelo Progr
  3. bad dog by Alien+Being · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    They do this SHIT for the same reason a dog licks his balls. What we need is for someone to hit Bill Gates with a rolled-up newspaper.