Google going against Xbox Live
In the recent acquisition of Adscape, Google picked up an interesting patent. It seems that Adscape was granted a patent in 2005 for a "system and method for interactive on-line gaming." While it's true that Xbox Live has been active since 2002, the patent was actually filed in September of that year, months before Xbox Live launched. The description is fairly vague, though: "The customer located equipment is connected to the gaming service provider through a broadband access network, and includes a gaming console." That could apply to almost any online service, depending on one's definition of "gaming console." Still, if there is one thing big business isn't shy about, it's patent lawsuits. Both Google and Microsoft have recently stepped up their efforts to enter the online gaming ad space. It will be interesting to see how things develop.
[Via Xbox-Scene]
