Stanford CIS

Internet at the next Ocean Tomo IP Auction

By Stuart Soffer on

For the past year I’ve tracked the series of Ocean Tomo Patent / IP Auctions.  The third in the series occurs April 2007 in Chicago, and I just received the catalog.  The catalog is divided into topical sections, including Web-Based Services, Business Methods/Data Systems, and Digital and Home Media.

I attended the first Ocean Tomo auction and was impressed with what they’re trying to accomplish, and the standards they are setting.  Clearly they’ve been ironing out the kinks and better calibrating expectations.

Here’s what the group may find interesting:

Lot 8: patents 6,269,349 (Systems and methods for protecting private information) and 6,839,689  (Systems and methods for guaranteeing the protection of private information)  From ‘349:

“A system protects private information provided in an exchange between a client and a server. The system receives the private information from the client and determines whether it is of a type to which a bond may be assigned. The bond provides an indemnity to the client for misuse of the private information. The system then assigns a bond to the private information, if it is determined to be of the type to which a bond may be assigned, and provides the private information to the server under bond.”

Lot 27:  Patent 7,130,830 ("Providing notice of patent rights"). From ‘830:

“The present invention provides tools and techniques for providing users of devices with actual notice of patent rights by displaying applicable patents, or by allowing users to indicate they have previously reviewed those patents, or both, before permitting use of core features of the device.”

The catalog suggests contacted Ocean Tomo for the expected value.

Most intriguing is Lot 55: an Internet Television Network business

“WorldNetCast.com is an internet television network with a geocentric TV strategy driven by 775 location-based TV channels, each community-built, developed with local editorial and marketing partners, and enabling a true local affiliates network deliverable to the desktop, the living room, and all mobile platforms. Within the Internet TV landscape and emerging in-home PC to TV migration, WorldNetCast believes the real ignition point and most commercially viable online video business model will be achieved via community built local Internet TV channels rather than single-site generic video portals.”
“WorldNetCast re-defines Internet video with:
775 Local Internet TV Affiliates-- a location-based Internet Television Network with community focused content; A verifiably advertiser-receptive broadcast venue; Professionally produced programming combined with community-relevant user-created video content; Distribution/Syndication to other affinity sites, and monetized by local sponsorship combined with “pay for placement” programming and advertising, comprised of ad units ranging from 10 seconds to 30 minute documercial/advertorials;”