The Best Advertising Stupid Patents Can Buy

from the blah-blah-blah dept

We talk a lot here about bogus patents, so some people seemed surprised that we didn't link to yesterday's hyped up story about a certain consumer electronics company's new patent that supposedly covered the interface for MP3 players -- including (of course), the iPod. Something about the story just didn't seem right, and Forbes has put their finger directly on the issue. While most of the patent stories we write about are either just as the patent is approved or (more likely) when a firm tries to hold another firm hostage with a lawsuit, this one (including the specific fact that it covered the iPod) was being trumpeted directly by the company itself. The company's announcement was also tied to a conference call, and while reporters expected the conference call to be about plans to sue Apple, instead, it was about their own latest products -- a conference call that most would have ignored otherwise. In other words, all of the posturing about the patent covering the iPod was nothing more than a publicity campaign, knowing that plenty of reporters and bloggers would focus in on the story. If the company actually does go after Apple for infringement, that might be a story -- but the story yesterday was simply using a silly patent for a silly promotion.
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  • identicon
    RBasil, 31 Aug 2005 @ 3:35pm

    No Subject Given

    And yet Mike you fall into the trap you are complaining by posting about it yourself and giving it more press. Pot - Kettle - Black?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Mike (profile), 31 Aug 2005 @ 5:26pm

      Re: No Subject Given

      Hmm. We don't mention the name of the company. We don't say what they're selling, and we spend the post trashing the company for doing this.

      Not quite sure how that helps their marketing campaign, do you?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        RBasil, 31 Aug 2005 @ 7:32pm

        Re: No Subject Given

        Just giving them press helps them. You know what they say, bad press is better than no press at all. ;)

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          John, 31 Aug 2005 @ 9:51pm

          Re: No Subject Given

          I think calling out the action is appropriate. It's not giving them press, it's alerting others to be more skeptical next time of Creative. That's a good thing.

          link to this | view in chronology ]


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