Pivotal Digital Set Top Box Patent Portfolio -- With Crucial Privacy Compliant Capabilities -- Available at Auction
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ICAP Patent Brokerage, a division of ICAP plc and the world's largest intellectual property brokerage and patent auction firm and organizer of ICAP Ocean Tomo Auctions, is offering for auction a range of patents for delivering privacy-compliant data from cable TV set top boxes from Maggio Media Research LLC. The lot will be included in the 15th ICAP Ocean Tomo IP Auction on March 29, 2012 at Terranea Resort near Los Angeles, California.
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Background
In the late 1990's, a small group of inventors and engineers began exploring how digital information, such as cable and satellite set top box data, could be collected and used to provide extremely accurate, second-by-second ratings, for TV, radio, and other forms of media. Of primary concern was the ability to harvest the data in a way that would comport with the Cable Communications Act of 1984 – in other words, be privacy compliant. The team and technology grew into a company called erinMedia, LLC, which commercialized the technology with several of the leading cable operators in the United States. The portfolio of patents were referenced in the settlement of a 2005 landmark federal antitrust lawsuit, and are now available for auction by Maggio Media Research, LLC. The portfolio has been cited by industry giants including Apple, Comcast, DirecTV, Microsoft, The Nielsen Company, and Yahoo!.
Key Characteristics & Benefits
This patent portfolio includes 8 patents and 119 claims that broadly cover four key areas:
- The use of privacy compliant data from two sources:
- Cable, satellite or telco set top boxes, as well as mobile handsets, broadband video players or independent DVR collected at a common characteristic such as zip code.
- A second data set, also summarized at a common characteristic such as zip code. This second data set can be demographic data, point of sale data or virtually any other data set that might affect television viewership.
- The patents teach that by correlating these two data sets, census-level, second-by-second ratings can be derived for ALL content and advertising being broadcast.
- The patents create two models for generating ratings: IDM (Inverse Demographic Matrix), driven by demography and IBS, Individual Behavior System, which is driven by behavior. IBS can provide applications at the zip code +4 level.
- With IDM and/or IBS implemented, other patents teach how this information provides insights that can impact content and advertising, including product placements.
- One particularly powerful patent, US 7,146,329, Privacy compliant multiple dataset correlation and content delivery system and methods, provides nearly 30 claims relative to delivering targeted advertising and content at the individual set top box level. (Note: This type of targeted ad placement is deemed by many to be the Holy Grail of advertising.)
- The most recently issued patent, US 7,739,140, Content Reaction Display, provides a look at how census-level digital data can impact what type content and advertising ultimately gets presented to consumers on TV, radio, and also the Internet.
- Content Reaction Display marries a graph containing second by second ratings, with a video or audio display of the actual content and/or advertising, allowing advertisers and media companies to visualize how ratings and behavior are impacted by the content, as it is presented to consumers.
Market Potential
This is an important portfolio for marketers, research companies and media companies.
- Advertising industry spending on television is $60 billion and growing. Internet advertising is $30 billion and growing.[1]
- This patent portfolio is a cornerstone for utilizing privacy compliant data to best deliver both programming content and advertising to consumers.
- Set top boxes can also be used to measure consumer sentiment – this has important implications for both political advertising and marketers in general.
To learn more about the assets available in this portfolio:
Contact Dean Becker of ICAP Patent Brokerage at 561-309-0011 or [email protected]
About ICAP Patent Brokerage
ICAP Patent Brokerage is a division of ICAP plc and the world's largest intellectual property brokerage and patent auction firm.
About ICAP
ICAP is the world's leading interdealer broker and provider of post trade risk and information services. The Group matches buyers and sellers in the wholesale markets in interest rates, credit, commodities, FX, emerging markets and equity derivatives through voice and electronic networks. Through our post trade risk and information services we help our customers manage and mitigate risks in their portfolios. For more information go to www.icap.com.
SOURCE ICAP Patent Brokerage
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