Mobile Barcodes: is proprietary winning?
Something has dawned on me and its quite scary. After coming back from Asia and talking to experts in Japan about mobile codes – I realise that when NTTDoCoMo powered QR – it was in a proprietary form.
Then the proprietary form became a standard for the market. I am sorry if I have been slow to grasp this but learning like a river at the moment!
Is this what Scanbuy is trying to do in the US this certainly does explain the CTIA connection above and beyond any back door deal? If it is, I have to say its very ambitious and I am shocked that I didn’t see the linkage before.
But as I fight to find the mobile barcode leader – worms keep coming out of the ground –pointing me on a slippery slope that indicates only how mobile barcode providers have failed to realise their potential.
This could be a result of the turmoil surrounding patents which obviously has impacted NeoMedia. But it is clear that other proprietary offers from UpCode have managed to muscle into the market. This shows that uptake of mobile codes is coming and necessary but different codes, readers and no definitive European leader is weakening not stabilising the market.
Indeed the likes of Nokia also see an opening here –but why did Microsoft falter with its mobile barcode for Live search ambition offer even before it began? The once ambitious project to offer of a QR search engine has been replaced by a less sexy offer for mobile barcode generators.
On top of that, who is really brandishing the flag for standardisation apart from NeoMedia? The OMA for sure, The GSMA too –but again CTIA is openly backing a proprietary code in the US.
Is it me or is the state of the mobile barcode business in shambles? No wait. I will re-phrase this. Is it me or is the state of the mobile barcode business outside of Japan in shambles?
Leadership is necessary and a new unity of vendors and providers in the landscape to fuel a better enterprise basis for mobile barcode services and applications.
What is needed to be done to move mobile barcodes to the “now” of mobile.
1. QR Codes, 2D Codes, Short Codes, EZ Codes – several names but only one reader should be capable of capturing all of these codes.
2. Patents are essential for the technology sector and this indecision and constant questioning of patents is bad for the industry. Speedier decisions need to be made. The in-direct code market has enormous potential and this must be unleashed.
3. In the US backing one standard is bad as it not Global – CTIA needs to re-address its position.
4. Visual mobile barcode companies need to do more to fuel mobile barcode and image recognition with a stellar set of mobile consumer facing services.
5. The barcode must become a commodity.
Related News:
- CTIA White Paper on Mobile Barcodes Part 2 – Bena Roberts turns green
- Mobile Barcodes At the airport with Iain McCready CEO Neo Media
- Mobile Barcodes 2008: The way we were and three predictions for 2009
- Jim Levinger CEO Nextcode on CTIA White Paper on mobile barcodes
- Mobile Barcodes 101: Understanding Mobile Barcodes
Bena,
Have you seen the latest desperation attempt by Scanbuy? They decided to bring a patent infringement suit against NeoMedia.
You can download the PDF here:
http://www.file-wire.net/file/xE4Wh4dGozC7
Scanbuy, in a joint suit, is claiming infringement on two patents. One patent that was recently awarded to Scanbuy founder Oliver Attia on October 30, 2007. The other patent was granted to Marshall Feature Recognition LLC on May 3, 2005 and is currently being licensed by Scanbuy.
According to the complaint filed:
Scanbuy and Marshall Feature Recognition have been damaged by NeoMedia’s infringement and unless
NeoMedia obtains a license to the ‘696 & ‘750 Patents from Scanbuy and/or MFR or is enjoined by this Court, NeoMedia will continue its infringing activity and Scanbuy and MFR will continue to be
damaged.
LOL, I know ….. Try not to laugh. But wait it gets better:
“Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 38(b), Plaintiffs Scanbuy, Inc. and Marshall Feature
Recognition, LLC demand a trial by jury of all issues and claims so triable.”
A couple important things worth pointing out:
* Scanbuy’s patent is very narrow because it claims a specific decoding process. NeoMedia does not use this same barcode decoding method.
Claim 1 of Scanbuy’s patent — A method for decoding a barcode comprising: (a) imaging the barcode with a mobile device equipped with a digital camera; (b) converting the barcode image to an array of pixels; (c) dividing the array of pixels into sections; (d) selecting a section; (e) determining a minimal pixel intensity for the selected section; (f) assigning a high pixel intensity to pixels with intensities above a threshold white level intensity; (g) assigning a zero pixel intensity to pixels with intensities below a threshold black level intensity; (h) assigning a zero pixel intensity to pixels with intensities within a range of the minimal pixel intensity of the selected section; (i) assigning a zero pixel intensity to pixels that are adjacent to a pixel that has an intensity within a range of the minimal pixel intensity of the selected section; (j) repeating (d)-(i) for each of the sections; (k) rendering the sections to form an enhanced barcode image; (l) decoding the enhanced barcode image to obtain barcode information; (m) transmitting the barcode information from the mobile device to a server, the mobile device in communication with the server through a wireless network; and (n) receiving a message associated with the barcode information from the server through the wireless network.
* NeoMedia’s core patents predate Scanbuy’s and Marshall Feature Recognition’s patents.
* There are broad patents (NeoMedia) and narrow patents (Scanbuy). Narrow patents are much easier to get issued, but are also of little or no enforcement value. In addition, even if a company gets a patent issued, that doesn’t mean that it is protected in any way - a patent is not a “right to operate” it is a “right to prevent someone else from operating using your invention.” Scanbuy can be issued a patent on a particular subject and still be infringing NeoMedia’s patent on the same subject.
Thus, the only way that a Scanbuy-issued patent would be a threat to someone else is if it covered a technique that someone else was using, that they needed to use (i.e. there wasn’t an alternate means of accomplishing the same end) and that Scanbuy could prove they were using. If all of that was true, it would give Scanbuy some leverage over the other company. If not, it’s moot. Such will be the case here I believe.
NeoMedia has a real chance to put Scanbuy out of business in 2009, and I truly hope they succeed in their efforts.