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TELSTRA'S highly profitable directories business, Sensis, has lodged global patents for part of its new internet search engine in a bid to stymie growing competition from global search giants Yahoo and Google.
Some great comments from Greg Ellis
We have registered a patent application where price and geography are the determinants. It sits in a patent registration, then people have the right to object to that. If they can demonstrate they are already doing that, then we won't be successful."
<<SNIP>>
"I don't know whether I can slow them down but, if I am successful in having the patent registered, they won't be able to do this without paying me."
An interesting approach - build your revenue by making your competitors license your technology.
Wonder if this patent is going to be succesfull?
Telstra licensed its basic search technology from Norwegian company Fast.Telstra receives two upgrades of its search software from Fast each year.
Proves to me that the people writing on this space don't have a full grasp of what is going on. Going to Telstra.com, you only have the ability to search various Telstra sites - not the web - and this is provided by Fast Enterprise Search. This is not the same as the Fast Web Search division purchased by Overture (and then Yahoo!).
The quote above doesn't clearly state this important difference. It blurs the line because it implies that the organic results provided by Sensis are coming from Fast (Enterprise Search division).
Just my further $0.02 for today.
You go to Telstra.com and click on Search, you can only do a search of Telstra.com - not of the web.
The article implies that the Search technology that is backending Sensis is actually from Fast and is deployed on the Telstra.com site.
EditG: I think you are right.
Telstra does own Sensis. But it operates as a seperate business unit.
Yes - Sensis is the Australian Telephone Directory monopoly, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telstra, which is the national demon-opolised telephone company.
I think.
It's all so confusing. Maybe I'll just dial 1234 and ask them...
Both Yahoo/Overture and Google have indicated they will launch paid online local search services in direct competition with Sensis before the end of the year.
Seeing that Yahoo's local search came out of prerelease here in Australia nearly a month ago (which was 3 weeks before this article was written!) - it certainly does look like Yahoo! will be in direct competion before the end of the year!.....
<service provider> in <suburb>
e.g. dentist in <suburb>, hairdresser in <suburb>
Which gives you the most useful, relevant results (take the page as a whole)?
cinema in <suburb> is rather interesting to compare.
Proves to me that the people writing on this space don't have a full grasp of what is going on.
Major publications have many general news writers and some stories are fed to them as opposed to the "IT" journos. I was with 75 or so IT journos last week at a junket in NSW and I asked a few if they are on the Sensis media list and they are not. Me too. ;)
