Patent for Personalized Search Recommendations On The Block at The ICAP Ocean Tomo Live IP Auction on July 23rd in Chicago

Business Wire, June 24, 2009

Patent Issued to EMG Technology’s Elliot Gottfurcht

CHICAGO -- ICAP Ocean Tomo – a division of ICAP (IAP.L), the world’s premier interdealer broker – today announced it will offer for sale one of inventor Elliot Gottfurcht’s patents on July 23rd in Chicago at The ICAP Ocean Tomo Summer IP Markets 2009 Auction & Conference.

Elliot Gottfurcht’s company, EMG Technology LLC, made news when it filed suit late last year against Apple. The suit currently claims that the iPhone’s mobile web surfing technology infringes two of Gottfurcht’s other patents. This litigation is ongoing.

The patent to be auctioned on July 23rd relates to a different web-based technology: internet searching and personalized recommendations. US Patent 6,611,881 “Method and System of Providing Credit Card User with Barcode Purchase Data and Recommendation Automatically on their Personal Computer,” assigned to Personal Data Network Corporation, provides a system that may revolutionize the search industry.

Conventional search technologies “learn” what a user’s interests and habits are, and tailor results and recommendations accordingly to maximize positive results. This type of search software, while powerful, is still limited to relying on a user’s online activity for help in filtering more helpful results from less. The ‘881 patent describes a system by which all of a user’s activity (especially purchasing activity), even away from the computer, is made available to the user’s search program to further refine results and recommendations. The technique disclosed in the patent employs existing, ubiquitous systems like credit cards and smart cards, which will significantly ease adoption of the technology. With a broader and deeper pool of data to work with, search software will become more personalized than ever, and return more relevant results without page after page of distracting off-target hits. The patent was first filed in March, 2000.

“Assets in this lot will be of interest to any business entity engaged in designing, building, selling or maintaining any form of search technology, online commerce, smart cards, and social networking platforms,” said Dean Becker of ICAP Ocean Tomo, “and should be extremely valuable for companies looking to improve their mobile commerce patent portfolios today.”

Potential buyers/licensees include designers, manufacturers, distributors, importers and users of search technologies, smart cards, online commerce technologies, and social networking tools.

The patent being sold has been cited as prior art in patents of numerous firms including Sony Corporation (NYSE:SNE) and Microsoft (NYSE:MSFT).

To submit IP for consideration by ICAP Ocean Tomo, or for inquiries regarding this Lot, contact 312.377.4851 or auctions@oceantomo.com.

About ICAP Ocean Tomo Auctions

ICAP Ocean Tomo Auctions has received global recognition as the pioneer and leader in the live auctioning of intellectual property assets. Over the past three years since inception, nine Live IP Auctions across the US and Europe which have transacted millions, benefiting sellers such as sole inventors, small and mid-size companies, large corporations, investors, and others. Hundreds of key decision makers in the IP and financial communities attend and participate in the auction events, including C-level executives, IP and business professionals, investors, inventors and media professionals. The Auctions have been featured on CNBC, Bloomberg TV, The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Red Herring, BusinessWeek, Reuters and more.

About ICAP Ocean Tomo

ICAP Ocean Tomo leverages the talents of experienced intellectual property monetisation professionals to match buyers and sellers for the sale of patents and other intellectual property assets in private sale transactions, multi-lot live IP auctions and through Patent/Bid-Ask, the first and only brokerage and online marketplace for Intellectual Property.

ICAP Ocean Tomo offers broad-ranging expertise and unparalleled credibility not currently available in the emerging patent marketplace, continuing ICAP’s standard for excellence and innovation. Combining its brokering expertise and world-class customer service, ICAP Ocean Tomo brings stability and liquidity to the patent monetisation marketplace and is currently the intellectual property brokerage of choice for IP assets in both the primary and secondary markets.

Our veteran brokers have expertise in IP revenue generation, technology deployment, and law. The team uses their vast knowledge of marketplaces across many sectors throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe to deliver highly-valued transactions for client benefit.