Volume V

Issue : 2: January 25, 2007

• HP Settles Lawsuits by Lexmark for Breach of Non Compete
• Defamation and Breach of Fiduciary Duty
• Airline Improperly Declines Access Request In Contemplation of Litigation
• B.C. Privacy Decision Considers Employee Personal Information
• Default Judgment Issued Against Daughter of Famous Music Downloading Defendant
• Google Heads to the Mall but Not to Shop
• Ontario Company Fires Employees for Internet Posting
• U.S. Court Issues Decision on Use of a Competitors Trade marks in Online Advertising

Home > Volume V > Issue 2: January 25, 2007 > Google Heads to the Mall but Not to Shop

Google Heads to the Mall but Not to Shop

Google has sought U.S. patent protection for uses of its contextual advertising (e.g. Adwords/Adsense) technology beyond the Internet in shopping kiosks and billboard displays. In its application published December 21, 2006, Google discloses “systems and methods for allocating space for advertisements in a network of electronic display devices.”

Google describes a database to store attribute information for each display device in a network, including retailers and categories of products for sale in the vicinity of the display device. The system examines an advertiser’s budget, preferences and other constraints. Keywords are associated with the advertisements and the system generates an advertising campaign, sending the advertising message to the specified devices for output. The publication adds, “[t]he output may consist of various forms including video, audio, printed incentive, interactive data transfers and/or combinations of these.”

Local stores can tie their ads to stock levels, stopping the ads when stocks run low and restarting as desired. Google appears to have related kiosk patents for serving ads and information in malls, hotels, airports, etc. The new ad channel rounds out Google’s Internet, print, TV and radio efforts.

For additional information, visit:

http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3624571