There are lots of location/local search patents out there — add one more.
According to SAI, Major League Baseball has been awarded a patent for a “system and method for verifying access based on a determined geographic location of a subscriber of a service provided via a computer network.” It’s apparently being used “to determine whether its MLB.TV customers are in areas that have to be blacked out from live-game streaming.” But the patent has broader implications.
Here’s the abstract of the patent:
A system and method relates to limiting the presentation of rules based events based on the geographic location of computer users attempting to view the rules based event via a network. The method includes receiving over a network a request to view a rules based event at a computer, obtaining a first estimate of geographic location of the computer where the first estimate of geographic location includes a first confidence determination, and obtaining a second estimate of geographic location of the computer if the first confidence determination is less than an established confidence level. The first and second estimates of geographic location define a composite estimated geographic location of the computer. The method further includes retrieving information on a geographic location of the rules based event, comparing the retrieved information on the geographic location of the rules based event, with the composite estimated geographic location of the computer, and providing access to the rules based event based on access rules and the comparison of the retrieved information on the geographic location of the rules based event and the estimated geographic location of the computer. The system and method can also apply to promotions, sweepstakes, contests, fantasy games, sale of goods and/or services, and targeted advertising.
Some of these patents are going to have to be resolved/reconciled through litigation.
