Major League Baseball Geolocation Patent

I heard about this on Friday’s Buzz Out Loud, then received an e-mail about it from reader Matt. Here’s the deal:

MLB put out a press release last Thursday that confirmed MLB Advanced Media (MLB’s online media arm) had received a patent for using multiple electronic methods of geolocation (such as wi-fi, IP targeting, etc.) to determine location in order to block access to online video. The patent is #7,486,943 titled: “System and method for verifying access based on a determined geographic location of a subscriber of a service provided via a computer network “

The abstract:

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.

Now, a few things are interesting about this patent:

(1) It was filed in 2004 and granted February 3, 2009. So, this has been in the works for a while.
(2) It’s about “limiting the presentation of rules based events.” I read that as “sports” though as the abstract suggests, it could mean contests or games.
(3) MLB is interested in such a tool since it can help local sports cable TV networks retain viewers that might otherwise have access to games on the Web.
(4) It has an odd geographic analysis that includes comparing the location of the potential viewer to the location of the “rules based event.” I guess that means in reference to what prior agreements with TV networks.
(5) An “exemplary embodiment” references Quova (an IP geolocation firm) technology. Quova has worked with MLB for some time, starting I think back in 2003; we wrote about MLB’s use in an article in 2007.
(6) To me the patent seems a bit obvious - it assembles known technologies (unnamed in the patent) to determine based on location if someone can or can’t see an online sports event.
(7) That said, just that the fact that geolocation/geotargeting is being put into a patent shows how far it’s come. I first covered Quova as a startup in 2000.

- Reuters