ETD: 746 We need a new shopping service; Greetings update;
Patenting Air or Protecting Property?
E-Tailer's Digest
etd_post@gapent.com
Thu, 18 Dec 2003 07:23:12 -0500
E-Tailer's Digest --- Everything for the Retailer
Issue #0746 December 18, 2003
George Matyjewicz, Moderator mailto:georgem@gapent.com
Published by: GAP Enterprises, Ltd. http://www.etailersdigest.com
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CONTENTS
[1] Greetings
[2] We need a new shopping service
[3] Greetings update
[4] Patenting Air or Protecting Property?
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[1] Greetings.
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Hi All:
How's the shopping season doing for you so far? Better than last
year? Share with us.
Thanks for the kudos on the Merry Christmas list. Over the past six years
we have enjoyed sharing that information with folks around the world. And
we really appreciate any updates that you may
have. http://etailersdigest.com/resources/greetings.htm
Next week is Christmas. We will not publish on Thursday nor will we
publish the following Thursday (New Year), We hope the shopping season
remains high for you and that weather conditions don't do anything to slow
that down.
Let's hear about your business, which will remain for posterity at
our "Members: Who Are You?" site.
http://etailersdigest.com/resources/members/index.htm And we have a form
there for you to tell us about you. As I said when I first proposed this
idea, we have "known" each other for a long time, yet we often don't know
anything about each other. So, tell us who you are and what you do.
Now, let's get to everything for the retailer.
Sincerely
George Matyjewicz, PhD
Chief Global Strategist, GAP Enterprises, Ltd.
mailto:georgem@gapent.com
http://www.etailersdigest.com
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[2] We need a new shopping service
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How do people shop for the holidays? Do they go to stores and stand on
line? Do they shop catalogs? Internet?
Better yet, how does one know what to buy? Four of my five kids are always
at a loss when it comes to buying for me. We have a rule, that a shirt and
tie or other practical gift is not a gift. They always complain they don't
know what to buy.
Two years ago, when living in Tortola, I had first-hand experience with
how difficult it is to shop when one lives in a different country then
one's loved ones. That's when we became dedicated Internet
shoppers. Order online, and have the goods shipped directly. I would say
we probably do 60% of our shopping online.
One of our daughters is a big catalog shopper (the mailmen love her
<g>). She not only shops catalogs, but when she sends her Christmas list,
she includes clippings from catalogs. Sure is easy to shop for her.
Where am I going with this? It seems to me that a shopping service is
needed. Folks who have difficulty in selecting a gift or in delivering a
gift needs somewhere to go to have somebody do the shopping for them. Or
at least give ideas. Sort of like the travel services (Travelocity,
Orbitz, Expedia, etc) who know your preferences and know how to book you
when you register. Why not such a service for shopping?
I see somebody going to a secure site and registering with
preferences. This would be similar to Family Point, that company we were
involved in five years ago (that was bough by iVillage). You register
family members and get reminders and ideas for those special days.
Then a list of unique items to purchase for "that person who has every
thing" would appear, along with where to buy and other such
details. Perhaps it would take into account the shopping bots available
where you can get the best selection/price.
Of course, not everybody shops for price. In my case, I would want
something unique and available. And on-time shipping would be
important. To me it's like an electronic catalog of ideas, all tailored to
a particular profile. If you like computers, some unique items appear; if
you like to travel, bargains would appear (differs from my statement above
about price); if you like cooking, a list of products or services
appear. For example, my wife is a fabulous cook. Perhaps a chef school
like Culinary Institute of America would have an abbreviated course for
busy folks who want a taste of the exotic.
What do you think? Maybe we have a new business?
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[3] Greetings update
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Do any of your members know how a person in Finland would say Thank You,
Welcome, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year? I have a client there, and
would like to greet him.
Many thanks for your help.
Lise Abbott
Systems Direct
+++ [Next] +++
Say thanks update:
Nepali -- (Nepal National Language) - Dhan-ya-vaad
(is the same as Hindi)
Jeff Morin
former Peace Corps Nepal
+++ [Moderator's Comments] +++
Thanks for the update. Also, a member sent me two updates and,
unfortunately, they were deleted due to a system error on my end. Could
you please re-send?
And, if any member has an update to our greetings pages
http://etailersdigest.com/resources/greetings.htm please send them to
me. Over the years, these greetings have been well-received. Thanks for
all your help.
George
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[4] Patenting Air or Protecting Property?
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Remember the discussions we had on patents? Well, in an article in
E-Commerce Times states that the United States "needs to revamp not just
the patent system, but the entire system of intellectual property law,"
said Andrew S. Grove, chairman of Intel Corp. "It needs to redefine it for
an era that is the information age as compared to the industrial age."
Universities, corporations and tens of thousands of Web site providers
across the country probably never imagined they would be rooting for the
pornography industry.
But millions of their dollars could be riding on a court fight between a
coalition of Internet video-porn providers and a small California research
firm, which early this year began enforcing the eye-opening claim that it
owns the patents on how most audio and video is sent over the Internet.
Acacia Research Corp. started by targeting dozens of adult entertainment
companies, demanding royalties of as much as 4 percent of their revenue
from audio and video streaming. Now the firm is seeking fees from
universities that use Web video for remote learning, from companies that
serve up movies to hotel rooms, from cable and satellite providers, and
from major streaming-media companies such as RealNetworks Inc. and America
Online Inc.
"It's pretty much the sky's the limit as to where the impact might fall,"
said a chagrined John H. Payne, director of educational technologies at the
University of Virginia's division of continuing education, which uses
online video for lectures and courses. "It's like patenting air."
The Acacia case highlights why a growing chorus of corporate and government
officials is warning that the U.S. patent system is broken, threatening to
stunt technological innovation.
They argue that an overwhelmed U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is simply
approving too many dubious and overly broad patents, especially in the
software and Internet realms.
The potential result: a digital world carved up into so many pieces that it
loses its power to easily link people, communities and ideas.
The country "needs to revamp not just the patent system, but the entire
system of intellectual property law," said Andrew S. Grove, chairman of
Intel Corp. "It needs to redefine it for an era that is the information age
as compared to the industrial age."
Details at...
http://ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/32402.html
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