Microsoft Interrupts This Broadcast...

from the patently-so dept

Thu, Mar 23rd 2006 3:49pm — Mike Masnick

theodp writes "Microsoft has filed for a patent covering the display of "annoying notifications" that demand payment of your overdue bill when you attempt to change the television channel. Check out the images, which illustrate how the kiddies will be informed Daddy's a deadbeat when they change the channel away from Sesame Street!" It's worth noting, of course, this is just an application, not a granted patent.

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13 Comments

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Joe Smith, 23 Mar 2006 @ 4:12pm

Spam and Pop-ups
Convergence is here. Now Microsoft will bring the "benefits" of Spam and Pop-up ads to our televisions.
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Tigger, 23 Mar 2006 @ 4:25pm

Re: Spam and Pop-ups
Well that's just great....
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DittoBox, 23 Mar 2006 @ 4:37pm

If this application is granted
I'm going to lose all hope in the patent system...oh wait I already did!!!!
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kossori, 23 Mar 2006 @ 4:48pm

hehehe
You've got bills!
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Dylan Johnston, 23 Mar 2006 @ 4:56pm

Microsoft is a whore.
People who patent shit like this are fucking assholes.
The US Patent office is fucking corrupt.

Fuck.

iddyfuckfuck

*Err Fingerterretsyndrom.
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Marshall, 23 Mar 2006 @ 5:16pm

Wow, stupid.
Enough said. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Why not just cut their subscription? I'm pretty sure that works just as well.
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Onur Kabadayi, 23 Mar 2006 @ 5:54pm

Privacy issues VS microsoft TV, VISTA
Check out this interesting post which is revolving around Microsoft's IPTV & Windows Vista

The decade ahead of us will bring a totally new dimension to all the privacy and security related evil...

Quite an interesting brainstorming session on what hacking 2.0, dirty marketing 2.0, big brotherism 2.0, and even voyeurism 2.0 might look like, and their implications on our lives!

Neo Marketing. New Marketing.
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mark, 23 Mar 2006 @ 6:07pm

Microslob again
I get the impression Ol' Bill hired alot of employees away from lawschools.....
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Dale Albiston, 24 Mar 2006 @ 12:09am

not a bad idea actually
consider this..

(all assuming the patent is granted)

microsoft, and only microsoft can do this, and they *will* enforce the patent. thus this should stop a lot of the shadier end of the spectrum being able to do this.

its a trade off, some irritating ads and not loads, plus of course with fewer sources actually blocking them should be simpler (I hope).

the whole idea is daft, and will annoy people, but its kind of like if microsoft had a patent on spam email, they could do it but it would reduce others doing so.

obvious flaw #1: the routine will be cracked and used by people who don't care that microsft has the patent...

windows messenger service all over again really.

sigh.
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?, 24 Mar 2006 @ 1:43am

Apple?!
I think it is funny that the images that are provided with this applicaiton require quicktime.
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The Truth Beacon, 24 Mar 2006 @ 7:33am

Read the patent
And you will see that this is not just to deliver an annoying billing popup, but this is actually to deliver any kind of pop-up that is use specific on television. As a few other respondants have pointed out, I believe that this will be used more for preventing issues such as Spam from infiltrating new media experiences such as interactive media PC's. There is obvious room for malicious intent or usage, but there is little these days which does not have such possibilities.

And as a targeted response to the person above who believes the patent system is corrupt - you are quite misguided. Granted, it is misused for some ideas, it protects people like me who have to come public with an original idea to get the vast funding necessary to develop the idea, without someone else having the necessary resources stealing it and claiming credit for my invention. I have already lost one idea to not being able to patent, because there are far too many greedy and selfish people in the world to do without the patent system, or similar systems of personal protection.
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Zeroth404, 24 Mar 2006 @ 8:11am

Pardon me for stating the obvious (or maybe for not knowing something you all do), but what the HELL dos Microsoft ahve to do with TELEVISION?

Not a goddamned thing, as far as I know.

Tell me again why you all still feed money into this machine...
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Mar 2006 @ 9:46am

Within 10 minutes of this technology going live, I will get a "penis enlargement" message by a hacker.

Anyone want to bet against me?
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