Microsoft Patent Monetizes Your TV Remote

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday March 17, 2012 @01:30AM from the you-will-pay-in-all-the-ways-you-are-able dept.

theodp writes "Microsoft, reports GeekWire, is seeking a patent on monetizing the buttons of your TV remote. In its application for a patent on 'Control-based Content Pricing,' Microsoft explains how one can jack up the cable bill of those who dare fast-forward past a diaper commercial or replay a sports highlight. From the patent application: 'If a user initiates a navigation control input to advance past (e.g., skip over) an advertisement, the cost of a requested on-demand movie may be increased. Similarly, if a user initiates a replay of a sporting event, the user may be charged for the replay control input and for each subsequent view control input.'"

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Re:Pointless, will not work without a monopoly by Nerdfest · 2012-03-17 03:23 · Score: 4, Informative

Actually, if you participate regularly, SlashDot gives you the option to skip ads even without being a paying subscriber. Because of that, I don't block their ads.